wanted him to go abroad for unless it were on some
matter of business, and it was decidedly inconvenient for him to
sail at this time.

"But, sir," he stammered. "I'm afraid--I'm afraid--"

"Yes," rejoined Ryder promptly, "I notice that--your hand is
shaking."

"I mean that I--"

"You mean that you have other engagements!" said Ryder sternly.

"Oh no--no but--"

"No engagement at eleven o'clock tomorrow morning?" insisted
Ryder.

"With my daughter?" chimed in the senator.

Mr. Bagley now understood. He broke out in a cold perspiration and
he paled visibly. In the hope that the full extent of his plans
were not known, he attempted to brazen it out.

"No, certainly not, under no circumstances," he said.

Ryder, Sr. rang a bell.

"Perhaps she has an engagement with you. We'll ask her." To the
butler, who entered, he said: "Tell Miss Roberts that her father
would like to see her here."

The man disappeared and the senator took a hand in cross-examining
the now thoroughly uncomfortable secretary.

"So you thought my daughter looked pale and that a little
excursion to Buffalo would be a good thing for her? Well, it won't
be a good thing for you, young man, I can assure you of that!"

The English aristocrat began to wilt. His assurance of manner
quite deserted him and he stammered painfully as he floundered
about in excuses.

"Not with me--oh dear, no," he said.

"You never proposed to run away with my daughter?" cried the irate
father.

"Run away with her?" stammered Bagley.

"And marry her?" shouted the senator, shaking his fist at him.

"Oh say--this is hardly fair--three against one--really--I'm
awfully sorry, eh, what?"

The door opened and Kate Roberts bounced in. She was smiling and
full of animal spirits, but on seeing the stern face of her father
and the pitiable picture presented by her faithful Fitz she was
intelligent enough to immediately scent danger.

"Did you want to see me, father?" she inquired boldly.

"Yes, Kate," answered the senator gravely, "we have just been
having a talk with Mr. Bagley, in which you were one of the
subjects of conversation. Can you guess what it was?"

The girl looked from her father to Bagley and from him to the
Ryders. Her aristocratic lover made a movement forward as if to
exculpate himself, but he caught Ryder's eye and remained where he
was.

"Well?" she said, with a nervous laugh.

"Is it true" asked the senator, "that you were about to marry