looked down at the small, trembling figure with her back against the wall
and her eyes full of frightened defiance, he felt uncomfortably like a
hunter who has run down some young wild thing and holds it at bay.

"Please, Miss Nell," he implored, "don't think I'm going to peach on you!
Whatever you do, I'll stand by you. Only I thought, perhaps, you might
need a friend."

"I _have_ a friend!" she retorted furiously. "If Harold Phipps had
received my telegram last night, nothing in the world could have stopped
him from meeting me--nothing!"

Then the defiance dropped from her eyes, leaving her small sensitive face
quivering with hurt pride and an overwhelming doubt. She bit her lips and
turned away to hide her tears.

Quin put a firm hand on her arm and piloted her back to her suit-case.

"What we both need is breakfast," he said. "Come to think of it, I
haven't had a mouthful since yesterday noon."

"Neither have I; but I couldn't swallow a bite. Besides, I've got to find
Harold."

"Well, you can't do anything till he gets back to the hotel. If you'll
come in with me while I get a cup of coffee, we can talk things over."

She followed him reluctantly into the dining-room, but refused to order
anything. For some time she sat with her chin on her clasped hands,
watching the door; then she turned toward him accusingly.

"Did you see Rose's telegram?"

"No."

He watched her open her purse and take out a yellow slip, which she
handed to him.

"Don't take the step planned. Imperative reasons forbid. Rose."

he read slowly; then he looked up. "Well?" he said.

"What does she mean?" burst forth Eleanor. "How dared she send me a
message like that unless she knew something----"

She broke off abruptly and her eyes searched Quin's face. But he was
apparently counting the grains of sugar that were going into his coffee,
and refused to look up.

"If it had been grandmother or Aunt Isobel I shouldn't have been in the
least surprised; they are just a bunch of prejudices and believe every
idle story they hear. But Rose is different. She's known about Harold and
me for months. She forwarded his letters to me when I was in Baltimore.
And now for her to turn against me like this----"

"Why don't you wait till you hear her side of it?" suggested Quin, still
concerned with the sugar-bowl.

"How can I?" cried Eleanor, flinging out her hands. "I've no place to go,
and I've no money. If I had had money enough I'd have