and rapidly for Adelle. But London did
not please her because Miss Comstock insisted upon a rather rigorous
course of museums and churches and show places, which always fatigued
and bored Adelle. She was also taken to garden parties where she was
expected to talk, and that was the last thing Adelle liked doing.
Whatever expressive reaction to life she had could never be put into
words for the casual comer. She would stand helpless before the most
persistent man, seeking a means of escape, and as men are rarely
persistent or patient with a dumb girl she stood alone much of the time
in spite of her reputation for wealth, which Miss Comstock carefully
disseminated to prepare the way for her.

One morning while her maid was brushing her hair, an operation that
Adelle particularly liked and over which she would dawdle for hours, a
card was brought to her, which bore the name--"Mr. Ashly Crane"--and
underneath this simple and sufficient explanation--"The Washington Trust
Company." Adelle had almost forgotten Mr. Crane's existence. He had
become more a signature than a person to her. Nevertheless, the memory
of her girlish triumph the last time they had met caused her to hasten
her toilet and put in an appearance in the private salon she had at the
hotel in something less than half an hour. There she found the young
banker very spruce in his frock coat and silk hat, which he had
furnished himself with in America and assumed the day of his arrival on
English soil. He was taking a vacation, he promptly explained to Adelle,
in which, of course, he should do several pieces of important business.
But he gave the girl to understand that she was not on this business
list: he had looked her up purely as a pleasure. In fact, the trust
people had become somewhat uneasy over Miss Clark's frequent drafts,
which altogether exceeded the liberal sum that President West felt was
suitable for a young woman to spend, though well within her present
income, and suggested that Mr. Crane should find out what she was doing
and if she were likely to get into mischief. The young banker had had it
in mind to see Adelle in any case--she had left a sufficiently distinct
impression with him for that. There may have revived in his
subconsciousness that earlier dream of capturing for himself the
constantly expanding Clark estate, although as yet nothing had defined
itself positively in his active mind.

When at last the girl entered the little hotel salon