ssed being
disagreeable.

I opened the door and he lost no time in getting to the gymnasium.

That next afternoon in the midst of the work out, I had another
surprise, for a wagon arrived from the station and in it were Marcia
Van Wyck and Miss Gore, the latter dragged against her will to play a
part she little cared for. I happened to meet them in the hall, where,
since none of the pugilists were present, Marcia put aside subterfuge,
nodded coolly and asked for Jerry. She wore the badly fitting suit her
maid had procured for her and chewed gum incessantly. I looked
anxiously at Miss Gore, but it seems that even her martyrdom stopped
at that. I led the way to the gymnasium where Jerry and the irritable
Carty were resting between rounds. The girl nodded to Jerry, who waved
his glove, and took one of the chairs by the ring-side, the obedient
Miss Gore next her.

"What round?" she asked masticating leisurely.

"Third," said Flynn with his gaze on his watch, "Time!"

And they went at it hammer and tongs. From my chair beside Miss Gore I
watched the girl. Her hands were clasped over her knees as she leaned
forward, her eyes glowing, watching the swift motions of the two men
as they moved backward and forward. Miss Gore wore the fixed smile of
the perpetually bored. She watched Jerry and Carty exchanging their
blows, with a sphinxlike air as though inspecting half-naked men
dancing around each other was her usual afternoon's employment. She
was admirable, accepting her lot in life with a philosophy which had
in it something of the stoic. Only when Carty landed on Jerry's lip
and the blood showed did she wince.

"You--approve of this?" she whispered, then to me.

"No. I'm helpless," I returned.

"You know?"

"Yes. It's madness. She made him do--"

"Sh--" she warned, for the round had ended, and Marcia turned toward
her. But I knew that she understood.

"You're a good sport, Mr. Benham," said Marcia to me, assuming her
role with an air of enjoyment, "havin' the boys up here to train.
Jim's comin' fast, ain't he?"

I nodded uncomfortably.

Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "You might of sent your honk-honk to
the train for us though. Cost us a dollar from the station. What d'ye
think of that? Don't like the ladies, do you, Mr. Benham?" she
laughed.

"I'll be glad to send you back," I said quickly enough.

"Oh, there ain't a doubt of that, I'm sure. Nice house you've
got--gym an' all. You might ask us to stay