failed entirely in
their appeal, and he saw only the gluttony and drunkenness--more of it
than ever before, it seemed to him.

Then, too, he had an unpleasant experience. He met Laura Hegan; and
presuming upon her cordial reception of his visit, he went up and spoke
to her pleasantly. And she greeted him with frigid politeness; she was
so brief in her remarks and turned away so abruptly as almost to snub
him. He went away quite bewildered. But later on he recalled the gossip
about himself and Mrs. Winnie, and he guessed that that was the
explanation of Miss Hegar's action.

The episode threw a shadow over his whole visit. On Sunday he went out
into the country and tramped through a snowstorm by himself, filled
with a sense of disgust for all the past, and of foreboding for the
future. He hated this money-world, in which all that was worst in human
beings was brought to the surface; he hated it, and wished that he had
never set foot within its bounds. It was only by tramping until he was
too tired to feel anything that he was able to master himself.

And then, toward dark, he came back, and found a telegram which had
been forwarded from New York.

"Meet me at the Penna depot, Jersey City, at nine to-night. Alice."

This message, of course, drove all other thoughts from his mind. He had
no time even to tell Oliver about it--he had to jump into an automobile
and rush to catch the next train for the city. And all through the
long, cold ride in ferry-boats and cabs he pondered this mystery.
Alice's party had not been expected for two weeks yet; and only two
days before there had come a letter from Los Angeles, saying that they
would probably be a week over time. And here she was home again!

He found there was an express from the West due at the hour named;
apparently, therefore, Alice had not come in the Prentice's train at
all. The express was half an hour late, and so he paced up and down the
platform, controlling his impatience as best he could. And finally the
long train pulled in, and he saw Alice coming down the platform. She
was alone!

"What does it mean?" were the first words he said to her.

"It's a long story," she answered. "I wanted to come home.";

"You mean you've come all the way from the coast by yourself!" he
gasped.

"Yes," she said, "all the way."

"What in the world--" he began.

"I can't tell you here, Allan," she said. "Wait till we get to some
quiet place."

"But," he persisted. "The