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Show n :l!t 1 : 1 1 VT3ZJ7AjLi She looked at him earnestly. "If vou mean that," she said, "I think I'm very glad." .... "Thank you. I suppose I mustn t ask wtio the the lucky n-ati ImV She shook her head. "I can t iHl yo". And he's away now out of Kngland.' Her .voice changed a little: her eyes looked pant Mickey as If for the moment she had forgotten him. M'key watched her Jealously. "And so. whatever was wiolig I at nlEht is all right today, is that it?" he ajted with an effort. ( To be con 1 1 n wed . . H drew back: h. shrugged his shoulders. shoul-ders. , . . "I bear your pardon. I .uppose I Uae nHeSordVr"ki'ea. He talked rather forced plalltudfs for the rest of the time. I wss Just aoina to tall for th. bill, when K.ther bhepslone said aua- d"Mr. Mellowes. I should like to tell you some thins;." Yes:" Miukev did not look at ner. Somehow he rould not trust himself. "I don't in the least know why I wnnl to tell you.'' she said nBain nervously. "But you've been so kind to me. . . . "Ye."' ssld Mickey gently, a. .he i paused. "Yes. whst is It?"- Hh. wss twisting her teaspoon, and kept her eyea lowered. "Ijist night, when I met you I was verv unhappy. . . . Thrre dl'ln t Kim .nythlng to live for In the world . . . 1 don't know If you've ever felt like thnt. or if you have ever cart-d for one really cared. I mean but If you have . . Hhe .tupped .gain. 1 think I understand." Mickey ssld, with an effort. "You mean that there a someone, some m.n ..." tie raised her grey evca to hi. lac. Yes. that'a whst I mean." Home man you car. for care for very much," Mickey went on .lowly. "1'er-hap. "1'er-hap. someone you have quarreled with mho haln't been quit. a. . . . kind as be might hav. been" The soft color flooded her face. CHAPTER III. In .pit. of ev.nt. of tb. n!ht. Mickey Mellow., slept Mundly. H wa. half paat When h. woke, to find his man Driver moving noiselessly about th. room. The morning .eemed to drag, twice people rang him up on ihe phone and Hard him to lunch, but Mickey waa not in th. mood for lunch; h. felt a .up-pressed .up-pressed Krt of eJcitement. a. If ' thing of great import wer. about to h)rlver looked at him woodenly one or twice: hi. fnce was as espresslonlea. a. his voice, but hi. dull .ye. w everything every-thing and behind them hi. keen brain wondered whst had happened to mak. Mickey so restless. I At 1 o'clock h. changed hi. clothe, for sn immaculate morning coat and srav trouser.: then, remembering what Kslher hsd said about the very horrd bosnling nous., h. changed them again for th. o!det tweed .ult In his possession, posses-sion, snd a pair of brown boots that had seen their best dsy. and tons since been condemned by Driver. Mickey glanced at th clock. It was alreadv a quarter past J. He took up his hat hurriedly and went out into th. treet. ... A taxloab would hav. to do for today, anvway. H. could dismiss it M the corner cor-ner of th. road and walk th. last few yard.. A mom.nl lat.r h. was b.lng whirled throu.h the .treat.. X of third-rat. atmoapher. about th. basement base-ment and th. cheap knocker on th. front door. Mickey looked for a ball, but there wasn't one. so he knocked. It wm'd a long time before anybody cam.. When at last they did he heard them coming for a long time before the door wss opened, heard slipshod .lep. on shiny linoleum, and a husky sort ol breathless rough. The owner of th. rough ws. joung and scared looking, in shoes several sises too large for her. and a skirt several inches too short. When Mickey asked for Miss Shepston. ah. stared without answering for a moment, then she turned and slopiied back the way she h.d come, leaving the door on the chain. Mlckev chuckled to himself: ah. evidently evi-dently did not Ilk. th. look of him, h. thought. He waited patiently: then he heard another .tap along th. .hiny llnol.umed floor of th. hall a very dlfftr.nl alep this time and. turning .agerly. b. a kslher herself In the doorway. "I didn't reslly think jou would come, ah. said breathlessly. Kor a mom.il- Mickey could not find hi. tongue. If hs h.d thought this girl pretty last night wilh the tears In her .yea. h. thought her a thousand time, prettier now. hhe looked as If some msglci.n hand had wiped th. distress from her face and convinced her that th. sun still shone. rnd ou guess last nighty ene asxea shyly. .Mickey smiled. , . Did I I sm not sure: perhaps." He drew a long breath that was half a sigh. "Well" he queried. "I don't know why I am telling you this " she sa.d ogaln. with a sort of distress. "It cannot interest ou; but. somehow, t think I should Ilk you to know." "It Interests me very much; I am honored that you should tell me." ML key looked again at the ring she wore quite a cheap little ring, with a couple of Inferior In-ferior dlsmonds. "You mean that you are engaged to be married." Yea; afcieast " The words were only a whisper. Mickey est very still. 'Well. 1 sup i rose you will have me for a friend all the snme, won't you?", he asked with an effort. She Icoked at him in faint amasen.ent. "I thought if 1 told ou lhat perhmw you'd rather r.ot . . Hhe stopped in confusion. Mi. Ley k-aned a little closer over the ts b'e. "You said last night that you didn't beliee In a man s friendship for a woman." wo-man." he ssid. "Well. I am going- to make you believe In It. I'm going to be vour frvend. The fact that you are engaged en-gaged makes no difference to me, if it Usa't to ou,"- He sat leaning back in at corner with his feet upon the aea- Opposite, feeling decided I v nervous. I Supposing he did not see Esther sup- i posing she were not there? Supposing she had purpose I r given him the wrong sddreiup? Kupposlng oh. supposing a thousand and one things! Mickey was full of apprehension when at last the taxicnb stopped at the comer of. the Brixton road and the driver cams to the door to ask what number. Mickev scrambled out. e ( "Oh. I'll walk the reat of the way. He paid the man liberally, and set out along the crowded pathway. There were so many people about that hs thought It must be a market day or something. A word with a policeman sliclted ths Information Infor-mation that he waa a quite the wrong end of the street for th number he wanted. Mickey was rather glad. He felt that he needed time in which to collect his thoughts, and yet when at last he reached his 7 destination bs felt as nervous as a kitten snd strongly Inclined In-clined to go bock. But hs went on and up the bars strrp of garden which led to the front door of the house. It wasn't such a bad looking houso. he thought. Not nearly aa bad aa hs had expected from the girl s description. In fact, once upon a l. me it must have be rather a palatial residencs, but sll the windows now were boxed up with cheap, starchy kwking; curtains, and there a as a sort Hhs wore ths same clothes she hsd worn lsst night, but sven they seemed sontehow to have changed. There was s bunch of violets pinned In her Jacket. 1 Mickey wondered tf It were ths violets that were responsible for the alteration. "When I make an appolnunent I al-wavs al-wavs keep It." he snid. He had almost adoed "with anyone tike you," but thought better of It. "And are vou going to let me take you out to tea?" he asked. She hesitated: she glanced back Into th dingy hall behind her. "I am leaving here today, shs said. "My box has gone already. If you will wait a moment ... I would ask you In. but you'd hate It so." "I'll watt outs:de," said Mickey. But finally they found a confectioner's. confection-er's. Mickey looked around critically. - "Is this all right" hs asked. "I've never been here before." "I have, often." she said. Shs was drawing off her glovea. Mickey glanced hurriedly at her hands. 8he wss wearing a ring. Hardly knowing know-ing that he d.d so. he leaned across and touched It. "Is that an engsgement ring" he asked. His votes aounded a 11 lie breathless. breath-less. She looked up at him, drawing her hand away. .."Why do you ask mtV |