se before he realized that she was
sitting up. She greeted him with an exclamation.

"Good!" cried Phil with satisfaction. "That's the stuff!" He sat down
on the end of a sleeper embedded in the sand, and peered at her
anxiously; but the light was rather uncertain and he was glad to note
that eastward the tree-tops blackened against a silvering sky. The
arrival of the moon would help a lot. "How badly hurt are you, Miss
Lawson? Do you know that people have got killed, jumping from trains?"
he reproved.

"Then whatever possessed you to do it?" she retorted. "I am not dense
enough to believe it is just coincidence that you are here. You had no
business to follow me, Mr. Kendrick, and I resent it very much."

"At least credit me with a sincere desire to be of service to you, Miss
Lawson," said Phil, with a half humorous touch of opprobrium in his
tone.

"Are you in the habit of changing people's names to suit the dictates
of your own disordered fancy?" she demanded sarcastically. "I should
think you would find that very confusing."

"I do--sometimes, Miss Williams-Lawson."

"In these days of neurasthenia it is indeed refreshing to meet one of
such healthy nerve as you appear to possess," she said icily. "Since
you have chosen to play the bell-boy in this large country hotel in
which we find ourselves, I shall assume that I am now in my room and
that you have received your tip. In other words, that will be all,
_garcon_. I shall be able to manage very nicely, thank you. You may
go! I really mean that!"

"I hope you will not find it too drafty with the window open so wide,"
ventured Phil, standing up at once and bowing elaborately. "You will
find water just over the fence there and the passenger trains go by
twice a day with a supply of clean linen. I am sorry that I cannot
turn out the fireflies for you, but it is the strict rule for them to
burn all night. You may find some rather ambitious bugs in the ballast
of the road-bed; they belong to the order _Hemiptera_, and have beaked
or sucking mouths. For downright earnestness of purpose, however, I
would recommend the mosquitoes which will have the number of your room
shortly. If the growling of the bears in the woods disturbs you, all
you have to do is to light a fire in the very open grate."

"Are you trying to frighten me, Mr. Kendrick?"

"Sorry I can't ask you to ring if you want anything," Phil pursued with
exaggerated politeness, "but this