nds of the
_Roland_ and the _Hamburg_ step from the bar. As he was about to wave to
them, he slipped and stumbled on a piece of fruit on the pavement.

"Don't fall, Doctor von Kammacher!" a woman's voice cried. "How do you
do?" On regaining his equilibrium Frederick found himself face to face
with a beautiful, dignified young lady hidden behind a veil and wearing
a fur hat and coat. He slowly recognised Miss Eva Burns. "I'm in luck,"
she said. "I very rarely come to this part of the city. It just so
happened that I had to buy something near here, and I am on the way now
to my restaurant. I always take my meals in a restaurant, because I
loathe boarding-houses. By chance, too, I am later than usual. A little
lady whom you know, Miss Hahlstroem, visited the studio with Mr. Franck
and kept me three quarters of an hour longer than I am accustomed to
stay."

"Do you take your meals alone, Miss Burns?"

"Yes," she said, somewhat taken aback at the abrupt question. "Does that
seem strange to you?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Frederick hastened to assure her. "The astonished
expression on my face was merely due to my stumbling and to this
unexpected meeting with you. The reason I inquired whether you eat alone
was because I wanted to ask you if you had any objections to my lunching
with you."

"I should be very glad if you were to, Doctor von Kammacher."

The stately couple attracted much attention from passers-by. Frederick
was tall and rather broad and carried himself well, and his hair and
beard may have gone rather too long without the application of the
shears. Eva Burns was almost as tall. She was a brunette, suggesting in
her face and figure, which bore no resemblance to the wasp-like figures
of the American women, a race and type more in accordance with the
Titian ideal of feminine beauty.

"Would you mind waiting here a minute?" Frederick asked. "You see
those people over there getting into the car? Some of them God in
his inscrutable ways destined to be fellow-passengers of mine on the
_Roland_, the others my rescuers. I should not like to meet them again."
When the little company was safely aboard the car on the way to Brooklyn,
he said: "I am profoundly grateful--" and stopped.

"Because you were rescued from those men in the car?" Miss Burns laughed.

"No. Because I met you, and you rescued me from them. I admit I am
ungrateful. There's that captain--when I saw his ship come steaming
toward us from across the