out of the danger zone, and they entered the
lift.

"Poor father!" she said, as they went to their suite, "it's a shame.
They must have done it to annoy him. This man McCall has a place next to
some property father bought in Westchester, and he's bringing a law-suit
against father about a bit of land which he claims belongs to him. He
might have had the tact to go to another hotel. But, after all, I don't
suppose it was the poor little fellow's fault. He does whatever his wife
tells him to."

"We all do that," said Archie the married man.

Lucille eyed him fondly.

"Isn't it a shame, precious, that all husbands haven't nice wives like
me?"

"When I think of you, by Jove," said Archie, fervently, "I want to
babble, absolutely babble!"

"Oh, I was telling you about the McCalls. Mr. McCall is one of those
little, meek men, and his wife's one of those big, bullying women. It
was she who started all the trouble with father. Father and Mr. McCall
were very fond of each other till she made him begin the suit. I feel
sure she made him come to this hotel just to annoy father. Still,
they've probably taken the most expensive suite in the place, which is
something."

Archie was at the telephone. His mood was now one of quiet peace. Of
all the happenings which went to make up existence in New York, he liked
best the cosy tete-a-tete dinners with Lucille in their suite, which,
owing to their engagements--for Lucille was a popular girl, with many
friends--occurred all too seldom.

"Touching now the question of browsing and sluicing," he said. "I'll be
getting them to send along a waiter."

"Oh, good gracious!"

"What's the matter?"

"I've just remembered. I promised faithfully I would go and see Jane
Murchison to-day. And I clean forgot. I must rush."

"But light of my soul, we are about to eat. Pop around and see her after
dinner."

"I can't. She's going to a theatre to-night."

"Give her the jolly old miss-in-baulk, then, for the nonce, and spring
round to-morrow."

"She's sailing for England to-morrow morning, early. No, I must go and
see her now. What a shame! She's sure to make me stop to dinner, I tell
you what. Order something for me, and, if I'm not back in half an hour,
start."

"Jane Murchison," said Archie, "is a bally nuisance."

"Yes. But I've known her since she was eight."

"If her parents had had any proper feeling," said Archie, "they would
have drowned her long before that."

He unhooked