ce of the hotel,
than a gentleman approached me.

"'Ah, Lamont,' he exclaimed, 'I am very glad to see you, though you have
given me a deuce of a long wait.'

"Turning quickly, I beheld, to my utter dismay, the gentleman from New
York to whom I owed that large sum of money I told you about.

"'I was here in time to take in the ball last night,' he went on. 'I
came on particularly to see you. You were having such a good time
dancing, with that pretty little creature in white that I did not
disturb you by letting you know of my presence; but after the ball you
suddenly disappeared, and I have been waiting in this office for you,
expecting you to appear every moment. I could not wait a moment longer
than was absolutely necessary, my business with you is so imperative.'

"To make a long story short, Mrs. Gardiner--Sally--he informed me that
he should be obliged to draw upon me at once for money I owed him; in
fact, that he _must_ have it to-day."

"Oh, what will you do, Mr. Lamont?" cried Sally, sympathetically. "What
in the world will you do--what will you say?"

"That is just the trouble--what shall I do--what can I say to him? He is
a man of iron will and terrible temper. He knows, he has learned through
my bankers in New York, that I drew out every cent I had in their bank
to pay him. How am I to face him, and tell him that it is gone? I know
full well he will have me arrested, and the coachman will be brought
forward who drove me up to the door, and then the whole story will leak
out."

"Oh! oh! oh!" cried Sally, standing quite still on the sands, wringing
her hands and commencing to cry, "if that story comes out, I am ruined.
Jay Gardiner will leave me, and I will be a beggar!"

"Just so," returned Victor Lamont, softly. "We must make every effort to
keep the matter quiet, and there is but one way out of the tangle--only
one."

"And what is that?" cried Sally.

"You must save me, and in doing so, save yourself. Sally--Mrs.
Gardiner," he whispered, rapidly, "you must help me raise money somehow
to meet this man's demands."

"But I haven't any money!" moaned Sally. "I have spent the money my
husband gave me--spent it long ago!"

"You must get it somehow," he declared, hoarsely. "Borrow it from some
of the husbands of your lady friends, and tell them not to let Jay
Gardiner know. You are a woman of wealth and influence; you can easily
raise the money I want--and _you must do it_!"

"I shall not have time