It was in perfect keeping with the luck of things that Miss Blake should enter at the moment. She had come with Jack and his sister to inquire regarding the fitness of her champion and to nerve him for the contest, and she stood aghast. Chapin stepped forward with a look of suspicion, inquiring: "What's going on here?" Miss Blake spoke brightly, tinkling ice in her voice. "There's no necessity for an explanation, is there? It seems time for congratulations." "Oh, see here now! Mrs. Keap's really engaged to Culver, you know." "Culver!" "Culver!" Both the young ranchman and his sister stared at the chaperon with growing horror, while she undertook to explain; but the blow had fallen so swiftly that her words were incoherent, and in the midst of them her hostess turned and fled from the room. "Now don't begin to aviate until you understand the truth," Speed continued. "While she's engaged to that broken-toed serpent, she doesn't love him, do you see?" He smiled. "I do _not_ see!" "It was simply a habit Mrs. Keap had got into--I should say it was an impulsive engagement that she has repented of." "No doubt she was repenting when we interrupted you," said Miss Blake, bitterly. Then Chapin added, helplessly: "But Culver is engaged to my sister Jean!" "Jean!" Mrs. Keap exposed her tragic face. "Then--he deceived _me_! Oh-h! What wretches men are!" The widow commenced to sob. Outside came Miss Chapin's voice: "So here you are, Mr. Covington!" And the next moment she reappeared, dragging the crippled champion behind her. Thrusting him toward Roberta, she pouted: "There, Mrs. Keap! I give him back to you." "Perhaps you'd better go on with your explanations," Chapin suggested, coldly, to Speed. "How can I when you won't listen to me? Hear ye! Hear ye! Culver was engaged to marry Mrs. Keap, but she discovered what a reprobate he is--" There was indistinguishable dissent of some sort from Mr. Covington. "--and she learned to detest him!" Mrs. Keap likewise dissented in accents muffled. "Well, she would have learned to detest him in a short time, because she's in love with Jack Chapin; so she came to old Doctor Speed in her troubles, and he promised to fix it all up. Now I guess you four can do the rest of the explaining. Let this be a lesson to all of you. If you ever get in trouble, come to the match-making kid. I'll square it." They were four happy young people, and they lost no time in escaping elsewhere. When they had gone, their benefactor said to Miss Blake: "Wouldn't you like to make that a triple wedding? We might get club rates." For answer Miss Blake hurried to the door and was gone.