which I fear," he muttered gloomily.

She laughed at him.

"Foolish! If there had been any one on this side who wanted to ask you
disagreeable questions, they wouldn't have waited to meet you on the
quay. They'd have come down the harbour and held us up. Don't think about
that for a moment. Think instead of all the wonderful things we are going
to do. You will be occupied every minute of the time until I come back to
New York, and I shall be so anxious to see the result. You won't
disappoint me, will you?"

"I will not," he promised. "It was only for just a moment that I felt an
idiot. It's exciting, you know, this new atmosphere, and the voyage was
so wonderful, such a perfect rest. It's like waking up, and the daylight
seems a little crude."

She held out her hand.

"You see, the gangways are going down," she pointed out. "I can see many
of my friends waiting. Remember, with your new life begins our new
alliance. Good luck to you, dear friend!"

Their fingers were locked for a moment together. He looked earnestly into
her eyes.

"Whatever the new life may mean for me," he said fervently, "I shall owe
to you."

A little rush of people came up the gangway, and Elizabeth was speedily
surrounded and carried off. They came across one another several times in
the Custom House, and she waved her hand to him gaily. Philip went
through the usual formalities, superintended the hoisting of his trunks
upon a clumsy motor truck, and was himself driven without question from
the covered shed adjoining the quay. He looked back at the huge side of
the steamer, the floor of the Custom House, about which were still dotted
little crowds of his fellow passengers. It was the disintegration of a
wonderful memory--his farewell....

* * * * *

At the Waldorf he found himself greeted with unexpected cordiality. The
young gentleman to whom he applied, after some hesitation, for a room,
stretched out his hand and welcomed him to America.

"So you are Mr. Romilly!" he exclaimed. "Well, that's good. We've got
your room--Number 602, on the ninth floor."

"Ninth floor!" Philip gasped.

"If you'd like to be higher up we can change you," the young man
continued amiably. "Been several people here enquiring for you. A young
man from the 'Boot and Shoe Trades Reporter' was here only half an hour
ago, and here's a cable. No mail yet."

He handed the key to a small boy and waved Philip away. The small boy
p