“Oh, do you think so? But Mamma! Poor Mamma! It will kill her! And George will stop at nothing when he is crossed. I have known him too long. It will be _terrible_ if he carries out his threat.” Tears were in her eyes, agony was in her face. “We must telephone your mother at once and set her heart at rest. Then we can find out just what ought to be done,” said Gordon soothingly. “It was unforgivably thoughtless in me not to have done it before.” Celia’s face was radiant at the thought of speaking to her mother. “Oh, how beautiful! Why didn’t I think of that before! What perfectly dear things telephones are!” With one accord, they went to the telephone table. “Shall you call them up, or shall I?” he asked. “You call, and then I will speak to Mamma,” she said, her eyes shining with her joy in him. “I want them to hear your voice again. They can’t help knowing you are all right when they hear your voice.” For that, he gave her a glance very much worth having. “Just how do you account for the fact that you didn’t think I was all right yesterday afternoon? I have a very realizing sense that you didn’t. I used my voice to the best of my ability, but it did no good then.” “Well, you see, that was different! There were those letters to be accounted for. Mamma and Jeff don’t know anything about the letters.” “And what are you going to tell them now?” She drew her brows down a minute and thought. “You’d better find out how much they already know,” he suggested. “If this George Hayne hasn’t turned up yet, perhaps you can wait until you can write, or we might be able to go up to-morrow and explain it ourselves.” “Oh, could we? How lovely!” “I think we could,” said Gordon. “I’m sure I can make it possible. Of course, you know a wedding journey isn’t exactly in the program of the Secret Service, but I might be able to work them for one. I surely can in a few days if this Holman business doesn’t hold me up. I may be needed for a witness. I’ll have to talk with the chief first.” “Oh, how perfectly beautiful! Then you call them up, and just say something pleasant--anything, you know--and then say I’ll speak to Mamma.” She gave him the number, and in a few minutes a voice from New York said, “Hello!”