dance was a thing I would miss, and Tony must have read disapproval on
my face, for he said no more about the festivities, and a little later
proposed the shooting. There were woodcock left in the marshes; he had
seen them--by accident, I guessed. He would send to the city for the
guns, and we would put in a good day together. That sounded better,
and I acquiesced promptly.

But before we had arisen from the table a waiter brought a telegram,
and Tony's face fell into glum lines. It was an important business
message and called him to the city over the next night. There was no
help for it, he explained; but, as I had my car, he hoped I would
worry it out alone till he got back. He would send down the guns by
express against a further delay, and--there a lingering spark of his
former affection for the twelve-bores glowed into life--would I
personally see that they came over from the railroad station safely?

So it was that, a little after nine o'clock the following evening, in
accordance with a wire from Tony, I drew up at the station platform
just as the last train pulled in. A vibrator spring on the car was
badly out of tune; I was bent over, testing it, when a voice
exclaimed, joyfully, almost at my elbow: "Oh, there you are! What a
scare I have had!"

I started and looked up. The impression I got was of a modish and very
much up-tilted hat and of a veil which hid everything beneath its brim
and the collar of a long, loose coat. These and nothing much besides;
for the single post-lamp left the platform in semi-darkness. But I
realized that this was a lady who addressed me, and that there was a
mistake which I could not too speedily correct.

"I beg your pardon," I said, "but you see----"

"Of course I do," the voice interrupted. "If I had not, I dare say I
would have sat on the station platform until--until you had finished
fussing with that old machine of yours. Oh! I have heard all about
your pet weakness. It was by the car I identified you. But I forgive
you. You have waited a whole train for me. Go on with your tinkering.
Only let me have a seat in the car, and tell the agent to bring over
my trunk."

"Trunk!" I echoed.

"Yes, trunk! But not a very large one--you see, it is only for a few
days. It will go nicely in the--now, what do you call the back part of
your car?"

"The tonneau? But, really----"

The hat tilted just a shade more, and I was silenced by the command:
"Not another word! Positively, you