nked
up like she was peeved at something.

"If your car isn't here can't we take you home?" asks Vee.

She acts sort of stunned for a second, and then, after another look up
the road through the sheets of rain, she steps up hesitatin'. "I suppose
my stupid chauffeur forgot I'd gone to town," says she. "And as all the
taxis have been taken I--I---- But you haven't room."

"Oh, lots!" says Vee. "We will leave this ridiculous package in the
express office and squeeze up a bit. You simply can't walk, you know."

"Well----" says she.

So I lugs the lamp back and the three of us wedges ourselves into the
roadster seat. Believe me, with a party the size of Mrs. Garvey as the
party of the third part, it was a tight fit. From the way Vee chatters
on, though, you'd think it was some merry lark we was indulgin' in.

"This is what I call our piggy car," says she, "for we can never ask but
one other person at a time. But it's heaps better than having no car at
all. And it's so fortunate we happened to see you, wasn't it?"

Being more or less busy tryin' to shift gears without barkin' Mrs.
Garvey's knees, and turn corners without skiddin' into the gutter, I
didn't notice for a while that Vee was conductin' a perfectly good
monologue. That's what it was, though. Hardly a word out of our stately
passenger. She sits there as stiff as if she was crated, starin' cold
and stony straight ahead, and that peevish flush still showin' on her
cheekbones. Why, you'd most think we had her under arrest instead of
doin' her a favor. And when I finally swings into the Garvey driveway
and pulls up under the porte cochere she untangles herself from the
brake lever and crawls out.

"Thank you," says she crisp, adjustin' her picture hat. "It isn't often
that I am obliged to depend on--on strangers." And while Vee still has
her mouth open, sort of gaspin' from the slam, the lady has marched up
the steps and disappeared.

"Now I guess you know where you get off, eh, Vee?" says I chuckly. "You
_will_ pass up your new neighbors."

"How absurd of her!" says Vee. "Why, I never dreamed that I had offended
her by not calling."

"Well, you've got the straight dope at last," says I. "She's as fond of
us as a cat is of swimmin' with the ducks. Say, my right arm is numb
from being so close to that cold shoulder she was givin' me. Catch me
doin' the rescue act for her again."

"Still," says Vee, "they have been livin out here nearly a year, haven't
the