g street, thinking of what these greeted people would say
to-morrow. "_I_ saw her yesterday, walking down Corliss Street,
about noon, in a gray suit and looking fairly radiant!" Some of
those she met were enemies she had chastened; she prophesied their
remarks with accuracy. Some were old suitors, men who had desired
her; one or two had place upon her long list of boy-sweethearts:
she gave the same gay, friendly nod to each of them, and foretold
his morrow's thoughts of her, in turn. Her greeting of Mary Kane
was graver, as was aesthetically appropriate, Mr. Wattling's
engagement having been broken by that lady, immediately after his
drive to the Country Club for tea. Cora received from the
beautiful jilt a salutation even graver than her own, which did
not confound her.

Halfway down the street was a drug-store. She went in, and
obtained appreciative permission to use the telephone. She came
out well satisfied, and went swiftly on her way. Ten minutes
later, she opened the door of Wade Trumble's office.

He was alone; her telephone had caught him in the act of departing
for lunch. But he had been glad to wait--glad to the verge of
agitation.

"By George, Cora!" he exclaimed, as she came quickly in and closed
the door, "but you _can_ look stunning! Believe me, that's some
get-up. But let me tell you right here and now, before you begin,
it's no use your tackling me again on the oil proposition. If
there was any chance of my going into it which there wasn't, not
one on earth--why, the very fact of your asking me would have
stopped me. I'm no Dick Lindley, I beg to inform you: I don't
spend my money helping a girl that I want, myself, to make a hit
with another man. You treated me like a dog about that, right in
the street, and you needn't try it again, because I won't stand
for it. You can't play _me_, Cora!"

"Wade," she said, coming closer, and looking at him mysteriously,
"didn't you tell me to come to you when I got through playing?"

"What?" He grew very red, took a step back from her, staring at
her distrustfully, incredulously.

"I've got through playing", she said in a low voice. "And I've
come to you."

He was staggered. "You've come----" he said, huskily.

"Here I am, Wade."

He had flushed, but now the colour left his small face, and he
grew very white. "I don't believe you mean it."

"Listen," she said. "I was rotten to you about that oil nonsense.
It _was_ nonsense, nothing on earth but nonsen