“But,” he added, with a chuckle, “I have not promised my friend the mayor that I would not come back. Very careless of him to overlook that point, wasn’t it? I shall stop in New York only a few hours; then I shall return to resume my job as staff photographer of the _Bulletin_.” As it turned out, the Camera Chap had cause to feel very grateful to Mayor Henkle for sending him back to New York on the seven o’clock train. For on that train he made the acquaintance of a man who was a friend of the younger Gale. As a result of this, Hawley was enabled to solve the mystery of Gale’s sudden desire to marry his Cousin Melba. His meeting with this man was not quite accidental, although the Camera Chap took pains to make it appear so. It came about in this manner: Just as the train was about to pull out of the station, two men came down the platform and stopped at the coach in which Hawley sat. One was Gale. The other was a tall blond man, whose face was exceedingly flushed, and who walked somewhat unsteadily. The Camera Chap’s attention was attracted to the pair by the voice of Gale’s companion, which was pitched far above its normal register. He was taking leave of Gale, who evidently had come there merely to see him off. “Well, s’long, old scout!” he shouted, shaking Gale’s hand vigorously. “See yer again next time I hit this little old town. Hope by that time you’ll be married to----” He didn’t finish the sentence, for Gale hastily cut him short by saying something to him in a tone so low that Hawley could not catch the words. Then Gale and a guard assisted the wabbly young man aboard the coach, and the train started. The Camera Chap had heard enough to cause him to desire to learn more. The sentence which had been cut short so abruptly caused him to think of what Melba Gale had told him regarding her cousin’s proposal. He wondered if it was to her that the man with the flushed face had been about to refer when Gale checked his noisy speech. Determined to find this out, if possible, he decided to become acquainted with Gale’s friend. The latter had taken a seat at the other end of the coach. Hawley waited until the train had been under way a short time, then changed his seat for one beside that of the man, taking care not to betray any special interest in his neighbor. The latter stared at him for a while; then, being in a conversational mood, he began to talk. “Hello!” he exclaimed. “Where’d you get on the train?” Hawley answered that he had got on at Oldham. “Oldham? Tha’s funny. Tha’s where I got on myself,” the man with the flushed face exclaimed, as excited as though this coincidence were the most amazing thing that had ever happened. “Great little old town, isn’t it? Know anybody there?” “A few people.” “Happen to know my frien’ Gale?” “Do I?” exclaimed Hawley in a tone which implied that he and Gale had shared the same feeding bottle as infants.