other end of the room, while I
followed the band. We had almost gone the length of the course, when
Jack, who had been staring ahead mighty hard, shied and balked, for
there, not ten feet away, stood Miss Moore, carrying his lilies, and
blushing and smiling at something young Blakely was saying to her.

I reckon Jack guessed what that something was, but just then Blakely
caught sight of him and rushed up to where he was standing.

"I congratulate you, Jack," he said. "Miss Moore's a charming girl."

And now Miss Churchill slipped her hand from his arm and turned and
looked at Jack. Her lips were laughing, but there was something in her
eye which made Jack turn his own away.

"Oh, you lucky Jack," she laughed. "You twice lucky Jack."

Jack simply curled up: "Wretched mistake somewhere," he mumbled.
"Awfully hot here--get you a glass of water," and he rushed off. He
dodged around Miss Moore, and made a flank movement which got him by
Miss Curzon and safely to the door. He kept on; I followed.

I had to go to New York on business next day. Jack had already gone
there, bought a ticket for Europe, and was just loafing around the pier
trying to hurry the steamer off. I went down to see him start, and he
looked so miserable that I'd have felt sorry for him if I hadn't seen
him look miserable before.

"Is it generally known, sir, do you think?" he asked me humbly. "Can't
you hush it up somehow?"

"Hush it up! You might as well say 'Shoo!' to the Limited and expect it
to stop for you."

"Mr. Graham, I'm simply heartbroken over it all. I know I shall never
reach Liverpool. I'll go mad on the voyage across, and throw myself
overboard. I'm too delicately strung to stand a thing of this sort."

"Delicate rats! You haven't nerve enough not to stand it," I said.
"Brace up and be a man, and let this be a lesson to you. Good-by."

Jack took my hand sort of mechanically and looked at me without seeing
me, for his grief-dimmed eyes, in straying along the deck, had lit on
that pretty little Southern baggage, Fanny Fairfax. And as I started off
he was leaning over her in the same old way, looking into her brown eyes
as if he saw a full-course dinner there.

"Think of _your_ being on board!" I heard him say. "I'm the luckiest
fellow alive; by Jove, I am!"

I gave Jack up, and an ex-grass widow is keeping him in order now. I
don't go much on grass widows, but I give her credit for doing a pretty
good job. She's got Jack so tam