brightly.

"Oh, Mrs. Meecher," she said, shepherding her young charge through the
danger zone, "I was so surprised to meet Mr. Kemp here. He is a great
friend of mine. We met in France. We're going off now to have a long
talk about old times, and then I'm taking him to see my brother..."

"Toto..."

"Dear little thing! You ought to take him for a walk," said Sally. "It's
a lovely day. Mr. Kemp was saying just now that he would have liked to
take him, but we're rather in a hurry and shall probably have to get
into a taxi. You've no idea how busy my brother is just now. If we're
late, he'll never forgive us."

She passed on down the stairs, leaving Mrs. Meecher dissatisfied
but irresolute. There was something about Sally which even in her
pre-wealthy days had always baffled Mrs. Meecher and cramped her style,
and now that she was rich and independent she inspired in the chatelaine
of the boarding-house an emotion which was almost awe. The front door
had closed before Mrs. Meecher had collected her faculties; and Ginger,
pausing on the sidewalk, drew a long breath.

"You know, you're wonderful!" he said, regarding Sally with unconcealed
admiration.

She accepted the compliment composedly.

"Now we'll go and hunt up Fillmore," she said. "But there's no need to
hurry, of course, really. We'll go for a walk first, and then call at
the Astor and make him give us lunch. I want to hear all about you. I've
heard something already. I met your cousin, Mr. Carmyle. He was on the
train coming from Detroit. Did you know that he was in America?"

"No, I've--er--rather lost touch with the Family."

"So I gathered from Mr. Carmyle. And I feel hideously responsible. It
was all through me that all this happened."

"Oh, no."

"Of course it was. I made you what you are to-day--I hope I'm
satisfied--I dragged and dragged you down until the soul within you
died, so to speak. I know perfectly well that you wouldn't have dreamed
of savaging the Family as you seem to have done if it hadn't been for
what I said to you at Roville. Ginger, tell me, what did happen? I'm
dying to know. Mr. Carmyle said you insulted your uncle!"

"Donald. Yes, we did have a bit of a scrap, as a matter of fact. He made
me go out to dinner with him and we--er--sort of disagreed. To start
with, he wanted me to apologize to old Scrymgeour, and I rather gave it
a miss."

"Noble fellow!"

"Scrymgeour?"

"No, silly! You."

"Oh, ah!" Ginger blushed. "And