robably so many men have been in love with you
that a man's love for a woman has come to mean very little in
your eyes. But out here we don't make a joke of love, and when we
care for a woman we care--well, it's not to be put in words, Miss
Cullen."

"I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Mr. Gordon," said
Madge, gently, and quite serious now. "I ought not to have tried
to tease you."

"There!" I said, my irritation entirely gone. "I had no right to
lose my temper, and I'm sorry I spoke so unkindly. The truth is,
Miss Cullen, the girl I care for is in love with another man, and
so I'm bitter and ill-natured in these days."

My companion stopped walking at the steps of 218, and asked, "Has
she told you so?"

"No," I answered. "But it's as plain as she's pretty."

Madge ran up the steps and opened the door of the car. As she
turned to close it, she looked down at me with the oddest of
expressions, and said,--

"How dreadfully ugly she must be!"

CHAPTER X

WAITING FOR HELP

If ever a fellow was bewildered by a single speech, it was
Richard Gordon. I walked up and down that platform till I was
called to breakfast, trying to decide what Miss Cullen had meant
to express, only to succeed in reading fifty different meanings
into her parting six words. I wanted to think that it was her way
of suggesting that I deceived myself in thinking that there was
anything between Lord Ralles and herself; but, though I wished to
believe this, I had seen too much to the contrary to take stock
in the idea. Yet I couldn't believe that Madge was a coquette; I
became angry and hot with myself for even thinking it for a
moment.

Puzzle as I did over the words, I managed to eat a good
breakfast, and then went into the Cullens' car and electrified
the party by telling them of Camp's and Fred's despatches, and
how I had come to overhear the former. Mr. Cullen and Albert
couldn't say enough about my cleverness in what had really been
pure luck, and seemed to think I had sat up all night in order to
hear that telegram. The person for whose opinion I cared the
most--Miss Cullen--didn't say anything, but she gave me a look
that set my heart beating like a trip-hammer and made me put the
most hopeful construction on that speech of hers. It seemed
impossible that she didn't care for Lord Ralles, and that she
might care for me; but, after having had no hope whatsoever, the
smallest crumb of a chance nearly lifted me off my f