“That is good,” said the chief, smiling. “You certainly have earned the right to attend to your own affairs. Then we need not feel so bad at having to send you back. Can you go on the afternoon train? Good! Then let us hear your account of your trip briefly, to see if there are any points we didn’t notice yesterday. But first just step here a moment. I have something to show you.” He flung open the door to the next office. “You knew that Ferry had left the Department on account of his ill-health? I have taken the liberty of having your things moved in here. This will hereafter be your headquarters, and you will be next to me in the Department.” Gordon turned in amazement and gazed at the kindly old face. Promotion he had hoped for, but such promotion, right over the heads of his elders and superiors, he had never dreamed of receiving. He could have taken the chief in his arms. “Pooh! Pooh!” said the chief. “You deserve it, you deserve it!” when Gordon tried to blunder out some words of appreciation. Then, as if to cap the climax, he added: “And, by the way, you know some one has got to run across the water to look after that Stanhope matter. That will fall to you, I’m afraid. Sorry to keep you trotting around the globe, but perhaps you’ll like to make a little vacation of it. The Department’ll give you some time if you want it. Oh, don’t thank me! It’s simply the reward of doing your duty, to have more duties given you, and higher ones. You have done well, young man. I have here all the papers in the Stanhope case, and full directions written out, and then if you can plan for it you needn’t return, unless it suits your pleasure. You understand the matter as fully as I do already. And now for business. Let’s hurry through. There are one or two little matters we must talk over and I know you will want to hurry back and get ready for your journey.” And so after all the account of Gordon’s extraordinary escape and eventful journey home became by reason of its hasty repetition a most prosaic story composed of the bare facts and not all of those. At parting the chief pressed Gordon’s hand with heartiness and ushered him out into the hall, with the same brusque manner he used to close all business interviews, and Gordon found himself hurrying through the familiar halls in a daze of happiness, the secret of his unexpected marriage still his own--and hers. Celia was watching at the window when his key clicked in the lock and he let himself into the apartment his face alight with the joy of meeting her again after the brief absence. She turned in a quiver of pleasure at his coming. “Well, get ready,” he said joyfully. “We are ordered off to New York on the afternoon train, with a wedding trip to Europe into the bargain; and I’m promoted to the next place to the chief. What do you think of that for a morning’s surprise?” He tossed up his hat like a boy, came over to where she stood, and stooping laid reverent lips upon her brow and eyes.