"I am anxious to
have Hastings share my rare good fortune."

Then raising his voice he called:

"Hal, Mlle. Nadiboff desires me to invite you to come, too."

Young Hastings was quick-witted enough to understand that this was all
but a command from his chum. So he hastily left Mr. Farnum, stepping
over to join the other party. Mlle. Nadiboff's little booted right foot
tapped the flooring of the veranda impatiently, but that was the only
sign of displeasure she gave. Her eyes were as laughing and as
gracious as ever. She extended her hand to Hal, who bowed low over it
in knightly style--a trick he had caught from his observation of naval
officers.

Then, as though to punish Jack, Mlle. Nadiboff asked:

"You will hand me into the car, Mr. Hastings?"

Hal did so, taking the seat beside her in the tonneau. Jack Benson,
suppressing a twinkle that struggled to his eyes, closed the tonneau
door, then stepped in on the front seat beside the chauffeur.

Despite her own cleverness, the young woman gave a slight gasp of
astonishment over this swift arrangement.

"Decidedly, my young captain is not wholly, a fool," she told herself.
"When I seek to snub him, he puts it past my power. However, it may
be that this young engineer will be better suited to my purpose. I will
study him."

"Toot! toot!" The Farnum auto, getting away first, went past them,
sounding its whistle while Mr. Farnum and Eph lifted their hats.

"Our gallant friend, the captain, must feel out of conceit with me,"
laughed Mlle. Nadiboff to Hal. "He prefers the chauffeur's company to
mine. So we must console ourselves."

Though he had not been able to hear any of the conversation, M. Lemaire,
looking out from behind the lace curtains of a parlor window, had seen
what had happened.

"Sara is doing better this morning," he muttered to himself. "Though
why should she take two of the young men with her? Ah, I see that she
has the engineer at her side, while young Benson rides on the front
seat. Clever little woman! She is going to make the young captain
jealous! Well enough does she know how to do that!"

Not quite so well pleased was the young woman herself, as the drive
proceeded. Though she did all in her power to charm Hal, and though she
did succeed in interesting him, she could not draw the boy out into much
conversation. Hal usually had little to say. Though he answered Mlle.
Nadiboff courteously from time to time, he did not utt