, so much obliged, Dicky. You know what these hotels are.
Good-by."

I explained to Jenkins. "All right, sir," he said. "I won't go out until
after nine. It'll be time enough."

And so I went off. I returned early, about ten, and sat reading. Jenkins
was still away, and the door of my guest room was open.

"Good evening!"

The voice behind me was soft, musical, delicious.

I whirled about, and there, within the door, leaning against the frame,
was the most beautiful creature I ever saw in all my life.

A girl! But oh, by Jove, _such_ a girl! A lovely, rosy blonde, dash it!
Golden-haired angel--long, droopy kind of lashes, don't you know--eyes
like dreamy sapphire seas--oh, that sort of thing--a peach!

The leap that brought me to my feet sent my chair thudding backward.

"Why--er--good evening," I managed to stammer. Just managed, you know,
for, give you my word, I never was so bowled over in my life--never! And
on the instant I guessed what it meant. The "kid" that Billings referred
to wasn't a kid brother at all, but was a kid sister--girl, by Jove!

"Are you busy?" I saw the flash of her perfect little teeth as her lips
parted in a smile. "If not, may I talk to you a while?"

I mumbled something designed to be pleasant--dash me if I know what--and
managed to summon sense enough to lift toward her a wicker arm-chair.
Then I dashed into my bedroom to chuck the smoking-jacket and get into a
coat. And all the while I was thinking harder than I ever had thought it
possible.

Just the thing to have expected of an ass like Billings--a fellow with
no sense of the proprieties! His kind of mind had never got any further
than the fact that I had a guest-room and a quiet apartment. The further
fact that it was in a bachelor apartment house and I a bachelor--and not
yet out of my twenties, dash it--would never have presented itself to a
chump like Billings as having any bearing on the matter.

"Of course, I must get right over to the club and leave her in
possession--it's the only thing left to do." This was my thought as I
slipped into my coat and gave my hair a touch--just a touch, don't you
know. The thing to do was to carry it off as naturally as possible for a
few minutes, and then slip away. Probably she hadn't counted upon my
being in town at all--had taken it for granted it was some sort of
family apartment--with housekeeper, servant maids, all that sort of
thing.

"Never mind," I thought, as I kicked off m