The three made their way together towards the luggage van, where Cornelia claimed her two big boxes, and saw them hoisted on the top of a four-wheeler. The elation of ten minutes back had died a sudden death, and she felt depressed and lonesome. Among all the crowd no one seemed a greater stranger than this woman by her side; in comparison with her, Captain Guest appeared an old and proven friend. She raised her eyes to his, as the cabman busily strapped the last box to the roof, and found his eyes fixed on her face with a very grave scrutiny. She did not know how pale and dejected was her own appearance, how different from the jaunty self-confidence of an hour before; but Guest had been keen to notice the quickly succeeding expressions, and was saying to himself: "She is upset. Something is different from what she expected. It's a bad lookout for her with that terrible woman, but she must have known her before." ... Mrs Moffatt glanced from one to the other, giggled meaningly, and stepped into the cab. They were alone; as much alone in the midst of the noise and confusion, as in the quiet of the railway carriage. "Well," said Guest, regretfully; "I suppose I must say good-bye! I'll come round soon to see how you are getting along, and--Miss Briskett, here is my card.--It gives the address of my club. If you should need me for anything, at any time, ring me up! You will promise, won't you? I could be with you in a few minutes." Cornelia smiled faintly. "Oh, thanks; I don't know about _needing_. Mr Moffatt will be round to look after us, but--Norton's my only home over here, and you seem like a bit of it! I'll be real glad to see you." She held out her hand to him; he held it for a moment in a tight, protective grasp, then took off his hat to Mrs Moffatt, and turned away. Twenty yards farther on the cab passed him, and he caught another glimpse of the two faces; one small and white, the other heavy in outline, and suspiciously blue-pink as to cheeks. "Thank heaven, I came up!" said Captain Guest to himself. CHAPTER SIXTEEN. Cornelia was surprised to find that her friends were not already housed at the Ritz, but had been staying at a private hotel, in a dull side street, where the cab called on the way from the station, to take up a pile of luggage lying ready packed in the hall. "The fashionable hotels are all crowded out in the season," Mrs Moffatt explained. "We've had our names down for ages at the Ritz, but it was impossible to get in before to-day. I don't know as we should have managed even now, if it hadn't been for you, dear. It worked wonders when we said you would be one of the party. You don't mind having your name mentioned, do you? You've just got to play up to these managers, if you don't want to be put off for ever, or poked away in a back room."