n she bid Miss Sadie good
evening, and made her way to the main entrance. She stood inside the
great oak doors, under stone arches where she could see the professor
through the glass when he approached. With a few moments to ponder and
catch her breath while she waited, a sudden flutter filled her bosom.
Good Lord, she thought to herself--it's a wonder he did not think me
scandalously forward. She felt a faint tingling in her cheeks as if
she had begun to color. What sort of woman would join a stranger for
dinner with five hours notice? Part of her dared not even answer her
own question, but another part of her replied that he was not a perfect
stranger by any means--she had met him any number of times--and had
joined him for coffee with no notice at all. It was hardly the time to
start worrying about propriety. She pulled the ribbon from her hair
and brushed it before retying the ribbon carefully and flinging her
hair behind her back. The least I can do, she thought, is to make
myself halfway presentable, though it's a pity I haven't time to change
my coat. A hat might have been welcome for its warmth--the evening was
sure to be cold--and for fashion as well. But then what is the use of
seeming fashionable, she thought, if fashionable I am not?

With his arms wrapped closely around him and his ungloved hands tucked
beneath his arms, Professor Bridwell trotted up the stairs. Upon
seeing him, Gretchen pushed open the doors and stepped outside.

"Why it's cooler than I had thought," she remarked.

The professor's smile fairly warmed her heart. "Let's hurry along
then," he said between chattering teeth, "I know just the place this
evening. They'll even have a fire, and if we're quick about it, we
might find a table close enough to feel its warmth."

Side by side, they walked out through the plaza. The clouds had
descended, muffling the sounds of the city beyond. They continued
through the campus gates into the nearby streets. The neighborhood was
uncrowded, since so many students had left for their holidays, and
though there were a few groups of people walking to and fro, dressed
warmly against the weather, only the occasional carriage rattled by.
Professor Bridwell led the way into a side street, where they were
greeted by a brightly lit cafe.

"I had no idea...," Gretchen began.

"Of a French cafe so near campus?" the professor finished for her.
"It's quite new." He pulled open the door and the sou