hat she could see, why she should not marry
him--if the worst came to the worst.

XXXIII

Grace did not hear from H. R. the next morning as she fully expected.
Since expectation is disguised desire, she was vexed by his silence. She
had conquered. Why did he not acknowledge?

She obeyed what she would have called a sudden impulse of no particular
significance and called up his office. Andrew Barrett answered. He told
her that H. R. had gone away--nobody knew whither--and would not return
until the following Thursday.

H. R.'s move was so mysterious that it could mean but one thing: He was
running away!

Merely to make sure of it, she went to Jerry's at one o'clock. The
northeast corner table was there, but not H. R. However, she sat down
and waited.

She ordered her luncheon herself, irritated at having to do what he
should have done. If it was business that kept H. R. away, she ought to
know it. The right to know everything was part of the spoils. When he
came back there would be no more ignorance--ever again!

At three o'clock she went home. But as the days passed she became
uneasy. H. R. was the only human being she completely dominated.
Brooding on his inexplicable absence, her thoughts came more and more to
take the form of the question that victrices always ask of high Heaven:
"Have I lost him?"

That made her love him.

At noon on the 20th of May he telephoned to her:

"Meet me at the Plaza at four--for tea. Don't fail! Good-by!"

"Wait!" she exclaimed, angrily, rebellion surging within her by reason
of his dictatorial tone of voice. She had been very anxious to see him,
but not at that price.

He had wisely hung up the receiver, however. That compelled her to do
what he had told her to do. She had something to say to him.

She found him sitting at a small table in the Palm Room. Ethel
Vandergilt and Reggie Van Duzen were with him. She approached him
frowning, because she ran the usual gantlet of stares, and overheard the
usual murmurs: "That's Grace Goodchild! Do you think she is as pretty
as--"

Ethel greeted her affectionately, and Reggie looked proud to be there.
He was a worshipper of the dynamic H. R. But all that H. R. himself
said, in his exasperatingly peremptory voice, was:

"Month is up to-day. Now for the test! Tell Ethel you want some
sandwiches!"

Grace started slightly and realized that Ethel had not overheard
H. R.--he had taken care that she should not.

"No! I--I'