Alice. An instant later, however,
one of them had turned around and faced toward the rear of the
restaurant.

Alice darted behind the screen with a quick intaking of her breath.
She had recognized the man, and was fearful lest he know her.

For he was the fellow with whom Russ had been in dispute in the
hallway that day, when the DeVeres' door had flown open.

"Simp Wolley!" whispered Alice, in tense tones to Ruth. "It's that
man who was after Russ's patent."

"Then don't let him see you."

"I won't--no danger. They're going out now. Come on!"

"Where?" asked Ruth, as Alice reached for her gloves.

"We must go to warn Russ."

"But we haven't eaten what we ordered," objected Ruth, pointing to
the food, hardly touched, on the table.

"No matter, we can pay for it."

"But the cashier will think it so odd."

"What do we care. It's our food--we'll pay for it, and we can do what
we like with it then. We can eat it or not."

"But they'll think it so queer. They may think we have some prejudice
against it, and----"

Ruth was a stickler for the established order of things. Alice was
more in the habit of taking "cross-cuts."

"Don't be silly!" exclaimed the younger girl. "We've just got to get
out of here and warn Russ before those men have a chance to take his
patent. You heard what they said about doing it to-night!"

"Well, I suppose we must," assented Ruth, with a sigh. "But it seems
a shame to waste all that good food."

"It won't be wasted. We can tell them to give it to some poor
person."

"Oh, Alice! You are so--so queer."

"I'd be worse than queer if I sat here and ate while Russ was being
robbed of his patent. I should think you'd want to help him. I
thought you and he----"

"Alice!" warned Ruth, with a sudden assumption of dignity. But she
blushed prettily.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Come on. Don't sit there talking any
longer, and raising objections. We've got to hurry."

"Yes, I suppose so. Oh, Alice, I hope nothing happens!"

"So do I."

"I mean to us."

"And I mean to Russ. A distinction without a difference."

The two girls drew on their gloves and left the restaurant. As Ruth
had expected, the cashier at the desk looked at them curiously as
they paid for the meal they had not eaten. But Alice forestalled any
open criticism by saying:

"We find we have to leave sooner than we expected. If you like, give
our meal to some poor person. We haven't had time to touch it."

"Oh, al