have a crazy streak in her somewhere.
Have you?"

"I'd hardly say that much--" They had crossed the hotel lobby, swung
through the doors and were standing on the sidewalk unconsciously braced
against the biting wind which shrieked around the corner and cut to the
bone, giving the lie to the bright sunshine and its promise of warmth.

"Brrrr!" shivered Evelyn--and Carroll rose eagerly to the hint.

"I'd be delighted to ride you to Miss Gresham's in my car--"

"Would you? That'd be simply splendiferous! And I'd like Hazel to meet
you--then she'd know that you're just a regular human being in spite of
what everyone says."

During the drive to the Gresham home, which stood on the side of the
mountain at the extreme southern end of the city--Evelyn did about a
hundred and one per cent of the talking. She blithely discussed
everything from the economic effect of the recent election to the
campaign against one-piece bathing suits for women: indicating
well-defined, if immature opinions on every subject. She informed him
that she was delighted with suffrage and opposed to prohibition, that the
League of Nations would be all right if only it was not so far away, that
she was sincerely of the belief that straight lines would pass out within
the year and the girl with the curvy figure have a chance again in the
world, that fur coats were all the rage--and he ought to see her
sister's--it was the _grandest_ in the city, that--she orated at length
on any subject which occurred to her tireless mind; securing his dumb
Okeh to her views--and liking him more and more with each passing minute
because he treated her seriously: like a full grown woman of twenty--or
something.

They pulled up at the curb of the Gresham home. As they did so Garry
Gresham swung out of the gate, paused--and his eyes widened in
astonishment at sight of Carroll. Then he stepped quickly to the curb as
Carroll and the girl alighted.

"Hello, Garry," greeted Evelyn boldly. It was the first time she had
ever called him by his first name. But Gresham did not notice. He nodded
a curt "Hello, Evelyn" and addressed himself to Carroll--eyes level,
manner direct.

"What do you want here, Carroll?"

There was an undertone of earnestness in the young man's words which the
detective did not miss. He simulated innocence: "I? Nothing--"

Garry Gresham frowned. "You had no particular reason for coming here?"

"None whatever. Why?"

"I fancied it was peculiar--af