John watched them cross the street and saw the door close behind them. Soon the whistling ceased and Sprockett and the baby went inside. For half an hour John lolled on the porch, pondering over Alma's disappearance, the abjectedness of Mrs. Sprockett's husband and the spectacle of Mrs. Sprockett's wilfulness. Had Mr. and Mrs. Sprockett ever, ever been deeply in love, exulting in the happiness before them in married life? How miserable it was that Sprockett had to whisper to him "not to tell," exactly as Alma had? He found his thoughts distressful and was about to rise, planning an hour with his books before going to sleep, when an automobile--he knew by the outline it was a taxicab--stopped before the house. The driver opened the door and a figure stepped out, hurrying up toward him. As he came to his feet he saw that it was a girl who was approaching him. "Mr. Gallant?" a familiar voice asked. "Yes." The figure came closer to him and he saw that it was Consuello's friend and companion, Betty. CHAPTER XXIV Abashed by Betty's unexpected appearance at his home and with a sudden fear that something had happened to Consuello possessing him, John waited for her to speak. He noticed that she had not dismissed the cab that waited at the curb. "Can you come with me immediately?" she asked, quickly. "I want you to see Consuello, tonight." "Did she send you for me?" he entreated. "No, but I know that she wants you," she replied. "Are you sure?" he persisted. "Don't be a foolish boy," she said, with a gesture of impatience. "No one in the world knows Consuello as well as I do. I am doing this for her. Do you think for a moment that I would be here if I wasn't certain I was doing the proper thing?" "I know she trusts you," he said, reassured by her mild vexation. "Hurry, then; I'll explain things while we're on our way. I'll wait for you in the cab," she said. Mrs. Sprockett's husband answered the door when he crossed the street to the Sprockett home to tell his mother he had been called away. "Tell mother that I'm going to see a friend and that I'll be home before it is late," he said. "Tell her there's no need to worry about me." "Just a minute and I'll call her," Mrs. Sprockett's husband suggested. "No, just give her my message," he said, apprehensive of the probable consequences of telling his mother that it was Consuello he was going to meet. As the cab started away from the curb he turned to Betty with the question that, in his mind, had been begging for an answer from the moment he recognized her. "How is she?" he asked, his voice betraying his anxiety. "She is very brave," Betty said, earnestly. "Perhaps I should not ask you this, but has she seen--Gibson?" So much, he felt, depended on her reply to this question. If Consuello had already talked with Gibson and Betty divined that she wanted to see him, then----