er as soon as
possible, and was just stepping into the elevator when Lemuel laid his
hand gently on my arm.

"I beg yo' pahdon, Mistah Billings," he said politely, "but would yo' do
me a favour?"

"Certainly, Lemuel," I said; "how much can I lend you?"

"'Tain't that, sah," he said. "I wish t' have a word or two in private
with yo'. Would yo' mind steppin' back into yo' office until I git these
folks out of th' buildin', so's I can speak to yo'?"

I knew I had still half an hour before my six-two train, and I was
not unwilling to do Lemuel a favour, so I went back to my office as he
desired, and waited there until he appeared, which was not until he had
taken all the tenants down in his elevator. Then he opened the door and
came in. With him was the young man I had often seen in the office next
to mine, as I passed, and a young woman on whom I had never set my eyes
before. No sooner had they opened the door than the young man began to
speak, and Lemuel stood unobtrusively to one side.

"Mr. Billings," said the young man, "you may think it strange that I
should come to you in this way when you and I are hardly acquaintances,
but I have often observed you passing my door, and have noted your
kind-looking face, and the moment I found this trouble upon me I
instantly thought of you as the one man who would be likely to help me
out of my difficulty."

While he said this I had time to study his face, and also to glance at
the young woman, and I saw that he must, indeed, be in great trouble. I
also saw that the young woman was pretty and modest and that she, also,
was in great distress. I at once agreed to help him, provided I should
not be made to miss the six-thirty train, for I saw I was already too
late for the six-two.

"Good!" he cried. "For several years Madge--who is this young lady--and
I have been in love, and we wish to be married this evening, but her
father and my father are waiting at the foot of the elevator at this
minute, and they have been waiting there all day. There is no other way
for us to leave the building, for the foot of the stairs is also the
foot of the elevator, and, in fact, when I last peeped, Madge's father
was sitting on the bottom step. It is now exactly fifteen minutes of
six, and at six o'clock they mean to come up and tear Madge and me away,
and have us married."

"To--" I began.

"To each other," said the young man with emotion.

"But I thought that was what you wanted?" I exc