"Which one?" asked the ninny, Nellie, astounded.

"I forget," said Denry.

He considered this to be one of his greatest retorts--not to Nellie, but
to Ruth. Nellie naturally did not appreciate its loveliness. But Ruth
did. There was no facet of that retort that escaped Ruth's critical
notice.

At length they arrived at the station, quite a quarter of an hour before
the train was due, and half-an-hour before it came in.

Denry tipped the odd man for the transport of the luggage.

"Sure it's all there?" he asked the girls, embracing both of them in his
gaze.

"Yes," said Ruth, "but where's yours?"

"Oh!" he said. "I'm not going to-night. I've got some business to attend
to here. I thought you understood. I expect you'll be all right, you two
together."

After a moment, Ruth said brightly: "Oh yes! I was quite forgetting
about your business." Which was completely untrue, since she knew
nothing of his business, and he had assuredly not informed her that he
would not return with them.

But Ruth was being very brave, haughty, and queenlike, and for this the
precise truth must sometimes be abandoned. The most precious thing in
the world to Ruth was her dignity--and who can blame her? She meant to
keep it at no matter what costs.

In a few minutes the bookstall on the platform attracted them as
inevitably as a prone horse attracts a crowd. Other people were near the
bookstall, and as these people were obviously leaving Llandudno, Ruth
and Nellie felt a certain solace. The social outlook seemed brighter for
them. Denry bought one or two penny papers, and then the newsboy began
to paste up the contents poster of the _Staffordshire Signal_,
which had just arrived. And on this poster, very prominent, were the
words:--"The Great Storm in North Wales. Special Descriptive Report."
Denry snatched up one of the green papers and opened it, and on the
first column of the news-page saw his wondrous description, including
the word "Rembrandtesque." "Graphic Account by a Bursley Gentleman of
the Scene at Llandudno," said the sub-title. And the article was
introduced by the phrase: "We are indebted to Mr E.H. Machin, a
prominent figure in Bursley," etc.

It was like a miracle. Do what he would, Denry could not stop his face
from glowing.

With false calm he gave the paper, to Ruth. Her calmness in receiving it
upset him.

"We'll read it in the train," she said primly, and started to talk about
something else. And she became