In spite of himself Smith felt a slight chill creep up over his neck and inconvenience his spine. He said, deeply agitated: "What a terrible position for me to be in--with a friend suddenly gone mad in the streets of New York and running after a basket containing what he believes to be a cat. A _Cat!_ Good----" Brown gripped his arm. "Watch it!" he breathed. The lid of the basket tilted a little, between lid and rim a soft, furry, six-toed gray paw was thrust out. Then a plaintive voice said, "Meow-w!" [Illustration] X THE LID OFF _An Alliance, Offensive, Defensive, and Back-Fensive_ Smith, petrified, looked blankly at the paw. For a while he remained stupidly incapable of speech or movement, then, as though arousing from a bad dream: "What are you going to do, anyway?" he asked with an effort. "This car is bound to stop sometime, I suppose, and--and then what?" "I don't know what I'm going to do. Whatever I do will be the thing that ought to happen to me, to that cat and to that girl--that is the thing which is destined to happen. That's all I know about it." His friend passed an unsteady hand across his brow. "This whole proceeding is becoming a nightmare," he said unsteadily. "Am I awake? Is this Forty-second Street? Hold up some fingers, Brown, and let me guess how many you hold up, and if I guess wrong I'm home in bed asleep and the whole thing is off." Beekman Brown patted his friend on the shoulder. "You take a cab, Smithy, and go somewhere. And if I don't come go on alone to the Carringtons'.... You don't mind going on and fixing things up with the Carringtons, do you?" "Brown, _do_ you believe that The Green Mouse Society has got hold of you? _Do_ you?" "I don't know and don't care.... Smith, I ask you plainly, did you ever before see such a perfectly beautiful girl as that one is?" "Beekman, do you believe anything queer is going to result? You don't suppose _she_ has anything to do with this extraordinary freak of yours?" "Anything to do with it? How?" "I mean," he sank his voice to hoarser depths, "how do you know but that this girl, who pretends to pay no attention to us, _might_ be a--a--one of those clever, professional mesmerists who force you to follow 'em, and get you into their power, and exhibit you, and make you eat raw potatoes and tallow candles and tacks before an audience." He peeped furtively at Brown, who did not appear uneasy. "All I'm afraid of," added Smith, sullenly, "is that you'll get yourself into vaudeville or the patrol wagon." He waited, but Brown made no reply. "Oh, very well," he said, coldly. "I'll take a cab back to the boat." No observation from Brown. "So, _good_-by, old fellow"--with some emotion. "Good-by," said Beekman Brown, absently.