he Angelica City Herald."

"Ban will be glad to see you. Take off your things. I am Russell
Edmonds."

He led the way into a spacious and beautiful room, filled with the
composite hum of voices and the scent of half-hidden flowers. The
Westerner glanced avidly about him, noting here a spoken name familiar
in print, there a face recognized from far-spread photographic
reproduction.

"Some different from Ban's shack on the desert," he muttered. "Hello!
Mr. Edmonds, who's the splendid-looking woman in brown with the yellow
orchids, over there in the seat back of the palms?"

Edmonds leaned forward to look. "Royce Melvin, the composer, I believe.
I haven't met her."

"I have, then," returned the other, as the guest changed her position,
fully revealing her face. "Tried to dig some information out of her
once. Like picking prickly pears blindfold. That's Camilla Van Arsdale.
What a coincidence to find her here!"

"No! Camilla Van Arsdale? You'll excuse me, won't you? I want to speak
to her. Make yourself known to any one you like the looks of. That's the
rule of the house; no introductions."

He walked across the room, made his way through the crescent curving
about Miss Van Arsdale, and, presenting himself, was warmly greeted.

"Let me take you to Ban," he said. "He'll want to see you at once."

"But won't it disturb his work?"

"Nothing does. He writes with an open door and a shut brain."

He led her up the east flight of stairs and down a long hallway to an
end room with door ajar, notwithstanding that even at that distance the
hum of voices and the muffled throbbing of the concert grand piano from
below were plainly audible. Banneker's voice, regular, mechanical,
desensitized as the voices of those who dictate habitually are prone to
become, floated out:

"Quote where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wise end quote comma
said a poet who was also a cynic period. Many poets are comma but not
the greatest period. Because of their--turn back to the beginning of the
paragraph, please, Miss Westlake."

"I've brought up an old friend, Ban," announced Edmonds, pushing wide
the door.

Vaguely smiling, for he had trained himself to be impervious to
interruptions, the editorializer turned in his chair. Instantly he
sprang to his feet, and caught Miss Van Arsdale by both hands.

"Miss Camilla!" he cried. "I thought you said you couldn't come."

"I'm defying the doctors," she replied. "They've given me so good