Mrs. Maze burst forth again: "If I had the least confidence in the world in any human express company, I would send it by express and pay the expressage myself." "Oh, I couldn't let you do that, Mrs. Maze," Gaites protested. "Besides, I don't suppose they'd allow us to take it out of the freight, here, unless we had the bill of lading." "Well," cried Mrs. Maze, passionately, "I can't bear to think of that child's suspense. It's perfectly heart-sickening. Why shouldn't they telegraph? They ought to telegraph! If they let things go wandering round the earth at this rate, the least they can do is to telegraph and relieve people's minds. We'll go and make the station-master telegraph!" But even when the station-master was found, and made to understand the case, and to feel its hardship, he had his scruples. "I don't think I've got any right to do that," he said. "Of coarse I'll pay for the telegram," Mrs. Maze interpolated. "It ain't that exactly," said the station-master. "It might look as if I was meddling myself. I rather not, Mrs. Maze." She took fire. "Then _I'll_ meddle myself!" she blazed. "There's nothing to hinder my telegraphing, I suppose!" "_I_ can't hinder you," the station-master admitted. "Well, then!" She pulled a bunch of yellow telegraph blanks toward her, and consumed three of them in her comprehensive despatch: _Miss Phyllis Desmond, Lower Merritt, N. H. Piano left Boston Monday P. M. Broke down on way to Burymouth, where delayed four days. Sent by mistake to Kent Harbor from Mewers Junction. Forwarded to Lower Merritt Monday._ "There! How will that do?" she asked Gaites, submitting the telegram to him. "That seems to cover the ground," he said, not so wholly hiding the misgiving he began to feel but that she demanded, "It explains everything, doesn't it?" "Yes--" "Very well; sign it, then!" "I?" "Certainly. She doesn't know me." "She doesn't know me, either," said Gaites. He added: "And a man's name--" "To be sure! Why didn't I think of that?" and she affixed a signature in which the baptismal name gave away her romantic and impulsive generation--Elaine W. Maze. "_Now_," she triumphed, as Gaites helped her into her trap--"_now_ I shall have a little peace of my life!" IV. Mrs. Maze had no great trouble in making Gaites stay over Sunday. The argument she used was, "No freight out till Monday, you know." The inducement was June Alber, whom she said she had already engaged to go canoeing with Gaites Sunday afternoon.