"Good heavens, no! I'm having the time of my life. I nearly died of curiosity at first--until I found Major Ramos's tongue." "Hm-m! You found it, all right. He appears to be completely conquered." "I-I'm afraid so," the girl acknowledged, with a little grimace. "You'd think he'd never seen a woman before. He's very--intense. Very!" "You don't expect me, as your chaperon, to approve of your behavior? Why, you've been flirting outrageously." "I had to flirt a little: I simply had to know what was going on. But--I fixed him." "Indeed?" "I couldn't let him spoil my fun, could I? Of course not. Well, I put a damper on him. I told him about you--about us." O'Reilly was puzzled. "What do you mean?" he inquired. "You won't be angry, will you? When he waxed romantic I told him he had come into my life too late. I confessed that I was in love with another man--with you." As her hearer drew back in dismay Miss Evans added, quickly, "Oh, don't be frightened; that isn't half--" "Of course you're joking," Johnnie stammered. "Indeed I'm not. I thought it would discourage him, but--it didn't. So I told him a whopper. I said we were engaged." The speaker tittered. She was delighted with herself. "Engaged? To be MARRIED?" "Certainly! People aren't engaged to--to go fishing, are they? I had to tell him something; he was getting positively feverish. If he'd kept it up I'd have told him we were secretly married." "This may be funny," the young man said, stiffly, "but I don't see it." "Oh, don't look so glum! I'm not going to hold you to it, you know. Why"--Miss Evans's bantering manner ceased, and she said, earnestly: "Doctor Alvarado told me your story, and I think it is splendid. I'm going to help you find that little Rosa, if you'll let me. You were thinking about her when I came up, weren't you?" Johnnie nodded. "You--might talk to me about her, if you care to." O'Reilly's voice was husky and low as he said: "I daren't trust myself. I'm afraid. She's so young, so sweet, so beautiful--and these are war-times. I'm almost afraid to think--" Norine saw her companion's cheeks blanch slowly, saw his laughing eyes grow grave, saw the muscular brown hand upon the rail tighten until the knuckles were white; impulsively she laid her palm over his. "Don't let yourself worry," she said. "If money would buy her safety you could have all that I have. Just be brave and true and patient, and you'll find her. I'm sure you will. And in the mean time don't mind my frivolity; it's just my way. You see this is my first taste of life, and it has gone to my head." XVI THE CITY AMONG THE LEAVES