, seems much farther away than Mexico City. He put the letter behind
his plate, upright against the stem of his water goblet, and looked at
it thoughtfully while he drank his second cup of coffee. He had been a
little anxious about Thea; she had not written to him for a long while.

As he never got good coffee at home, the doctor always drank three cups
for breakfast when he was in Denver. Oscar knew just when to bring him a
second pot, fresh and smoking. "And more cream, Oscar, please. You know
I like lots of cream," the doctor murmured, as he opened the square
envelope, marked in the upper right-hand corner, "Everett House, Union
Square." The text of the letter was as follows:--

DEAR DOCTOR ARCHIE:--

I have not written to you for a long time, but it has not been
unintentional. I could not write you frankly, and so I would not write
at all. I can be frank with you now, but not by letter. It is a great
deal to ask, but I wonder if you could come to New York to help me out?
I have got into difficulties, and I need your advice. I need your
friendship. I am afraid I must even ask you to lend me money, if you can
without serious inconvenience. I have to go to Germany to study, and it
can't be put off any longer. My voice is ready. Needless to say, I don't
want any word of this to reach my family. They are the last people I
would turn to, though I love my mother dearly. If you can come, please
telegraph me at this hotel. Don't despair of me. I'll make it up to you
yet.

Your old friend,

THEA KRONBORG.

This in a bold, jagged handwriting with a Gothic turn to the
letters,--something between a highly sophisticated hand and a very
unsophisticated one,--not in the least smooth or flowing.

The doctor bit off the end of a cigar nervously and read the letter
through again, fumbling distractedly in his pockets for matches, while
the waiter kept trying to call his attention to the box he had just
placed before him. At last Oscar came out, as if the idea had just
struck him, "Matches, sir?"

"Yes, thank you." The doctor slipped a coin into his palm and rose,
crumpling Thea's letter in his hand and thrusting the others into his
pocket unopened. He went back to the desk in the lobby and beckoned to
the clerk, upon whose kindness he threw himself apologetically.

"Harry, I've got to pull out unexpectedly. Call up the Burlington, will
you, and ask them to route me to New York the quickest way, and to let
us know. Ask for