"Certainly," replied Cissy, who liked him as much as she had despised the actor. Almost every one has antipathies. The actor was one of Cissy's, no doubt. Harry Hawthorne thanked her for her courtesy, paid for his gloves, and walked away with such a princely air that all the pretty salesgirls followed his exit with admiring eyes, and there was a swelling murmur of ejaculations: "Oh, what a handsome fellow!" "Isn't he perfectly magnif'?" "Who is he, Cissy? A Fifth avenue millionaire?" "Oh, no, indeed, girls; don't lose your wits! He's a fireman at the Ludlow street engine-house, that's all." "Oh, then he must be a prince in disguise; and, come to think of it, millionaires are not usually good-looking, any way. I might have known he was poor, from his beauty. He was talking to you about Jerry Harding, wasn't he? Is she his sweetheart?" "Perhaps so. Don't bother me! I don't know," laughed Cissy, cutting short their merry chatter. Meanwhile the object of their admiration hurried away and returned to the hospital. He had no trouble in finding the messenger-boy who had taken his note to Geraldine, and the youth, unconscious of having done wrong, very readily admitted that he had given the note to a gentleman, who said he was going in, and had offered to hand the letter to the lady. "No harm done, I hope, sir?" he said, regretfully. "Yes, more harm than you know. The man kept the letter, so the young lady never received it. It was something very important, too; and now she has gone away, and the mischief you did can never be undone." "Oh, my! what a pity!" exclaimed the boy, readily guessing that here was a broken-off love affair. He looked pityingly at Hawthorne a minute, then continued: "I'm very sorry I made such a mistake. I thought the fellow was a gentleman. But I know him, and I'll get even with him for that trick--you see if I don't!" "Who was he, Rob?" "Why, that Standish that plays in 'Hearts and Homes.' An elegant swell, don't you know? Gave me a quarter, like a lord. But I'll hunt him up, and get back that letter." "You are too late, Rob. He has gone on the road with his company." "Whew! And the lady gone, too, with him?" "Yes." "Oh, what a kettle of fish! Of my mixing, too! Indeed, Mr. Hawthorne, I'm sorry; and, if I ever get a chance, I'll do that fellow up for his treachery, the villain!" cried the boy, so earnestly that the listener could but smile, for he had no faith in the possibility of such an event taking place. He walked away, bitter at heart over the actor's treachery. "He kept that letter, and managed to make trouble between us somehow, the cunning wretch!" he mused, sadly enough, for the case looked hopeless now. Standish, having gained such a signal advantage over him in taking pretty Geraldine away, would follow it up by wedding her before his return.