her fur-lined cloak and shaking two or three childish
curls from the bondage of her velvet hood. The driver swung himself
down and came toward her with the unhasting swiftness of one trained
to the unexpected.

"I beg pardon--can I be of some use?" he asked.

"We are lost," she confessed hurriedly. "If you could set us right, I
should be grateful. I--we must get home soon. I have been a guest at a
house somewhere here, and started to return to New York this
afternoon. The chauffeur does not know Long Island; we can not seem
to find any place. And now we have lost a tire. I was afraid--"

She broke off abruptly, as her companion descended from the limousine.

"We only want to know the way; we're all right," he explained. "This
is my cousin; I came out after her, you see. Don't get so worried,
Emily--we'll go straight on as soon as Anderson changes the tire."

He huddled his words slightly and spoke too rapidly, the round,
good-humored face he turned to the white light was too flushed;
otherwise there was nothing unusual in his appearance. And his caste
was evident and unquestionable, in spite of any circumstance. There
was no anger in the girl's dark eyes as she gazed straight before her,
only pity and helpless distress.

"I can tell your chauffeur the road," the driver of the gray car
quietly said. "Have you far to go?"

"To the St. Royal," she answered, looking at him. "My uncle is there.
Is that far?"

"No; you can reach there by ten o'clock. I will speak to your
chauffeur."

"Do, like a good fellow," the other man interposed. "Awfully obliged.
You're not angry, Emily," he added, lowering his voice, and moving
nearer her. "Since we're engaged, why should you get frightened simply
because I proposed we get married to-night instead of waiting for a
big wedding? I thought it was a good idea, you know. It isn't my fault
Anderson got lost instead of getting us home for dinner, is it?"

"Hush, Dick," she rebuked, hot color sweeping her face. "You, you are
not well. And we are not engaged; you forget. Just because people want
us to be--" Too proud to let her steadiness quiver, she broke the
sentence.

If the driver had heard, and it was scarcely possible that he had not,
he made no sign. By the acetylene light he produced an envelope and
pencil, and proceeded to sketch a map, showing the route to the
limousine's chauffeur.

"Understand it?" he queried, concluding. He had a certain decision of
manner, not in