is idea being, that the roomier
the car, the less Marie would show up in it. On the other hand, if he
cared to consider her in that way, Marie would be there as much for his
protection as Marjory's. The task that lay ahead of him this next week
was well defined; it was to get back to normal. He had diagnosed his
disease--now he must cure it. It would have been much easier to have
done this by himself, but this was impossible. He must learn to gaze
steadily into her eyes, while gazing into them; he must learn to look
indifferently upon her lips, with her within arm's reach of him. Here
was a man's job.

He was not even to have the machine to occupy his attention; for there
was no time to secure a license, and so he must take with him a
chauffeur. He was fortunate in being able to secure one on the
spot--Louis Santerre, a good-looking lad with the best of
recommendations. He ordered him to be at the hotel at three.

Thus, in less than an hour from the time he entered the salesroom,
Monte had bought and paid for his car, hired his man, given orders for
certain accessories, and left, with Monsieur Mansart bowing him out and
heartily wishing that all his customers were of this type.

There were, however, several little things that Monte still wished to
purchase--an automobile coat and cap, for one thing; also some rugs.
These he found in a near-by store. It was as he was leaving that the
clerk--who, it seems, must have had an eye--noticed the shiny new gold
ring upon Monte's left hand.

"Madame is well supplied?" he inquired.

"Madame? Who the devil is madame?" demanded Monte.

"Pardon, monsieur," replied the clerk in some confusion, fearing he had
made a grave mistake. "I did not know monsieur was traveling alone."

Then it was Monte's turn to show signs of confusion. It was quite true
he was not traveling alone. It was the truest thing he knew just then.

"What is necessary for a lady traveling by motor?" he inquired.

The clerk would take great pleasure in showing him in a department
devoted to that very end. It was after one bewildering glance about
the counters that he became of the opinion that his question should
have been: "What is it that a lady does not wear when traveling by
motor?" He saw coats and bonnets and goggles and vanity boxes and
gloves, to mention only a few of those things he took in at first
glance.

"We are leaving in some haste," explained Monte, "so I'm afraid she has
non