"She has gone out, Mr. Carey. She telephoned this afternoon to your office and your home, but you were not at either place. She was invited out by Mr. and Mrs. Chester, and said she knew you would excuse her, but please to call up Mount Vernon one thousand and ask them to send for her." "Thank you, Mrs. Poppleton. What number did you say it was?" "Mount Vernon one thousand." "Thank you. Goodby." After he had hung up the receiver, Daniel sat for a moment in the booth, undecided whether to pursue Jennie further by wire. He was inclined to feel miffed that she was not demurely waiting for him. Then his sense of fair play got the better of his selfishness, and he reflected that after all she was doing only what he had called her up to say he was going to do. He lifted the receiver. "Mount Vernon one thousand, please," he asked, when the operator outside had acknowledged his call. "What number did you say?" she queried. Her tone was sharp, as though surprised or puzzled. "Mount Vernon one thousand." There was a pause, but Daniel could not hear any click or other sound to indicate that she was trying to give him the connection. Finally he heard her ask slowly: "Whom do you wish to speak to?" "To Miss Poppleton," he replied, "who is taking dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Chester." "Just hold the line, please." The second wait for Jennie seemed longer than the first, and Daniel not only grew restive in the booth, but began again to asseverate that Jennie had not behaved quite properly by him. If she was out with Mr. and Mrs. Chester for a good time, it was dollars to doughnuts that a fourth member of the party was that chap Pratt. Jennie was going altogether too much with the fellow anyhow, and though he was an ill-mannered cur (this was Daniel's opinion), he had money, and seemed to be pretty popular with other people. He certainly was blamed popular with Jennie and the Chesters. Confound it all, the Chesters were not so many! (this also was Daniel's opinion). There is no telling to what lengths he might have gone had not the voice of Jennie sailed sweetly over the wire at this juncture. He knew it to be Jennie instantaneously; never had her tones sounded so clear and close. It was as if she were only a few feet away. "Is that you, Dan?" he heard her say. "Yes, Jennie," he replied; "your mother gave me your message to call you up." After this came a pause, a bit of awkwardness, due to the fact that each was fencing for the best position to deliver his or her excuse for not coming up to the mark that evening. It was Jennie who spoke first. "You did not intend to come out to the hotel tonight?" Daniel had an inspiration. "Yes, I had a little surprise for you. You remember hearing me talk of Tom Oliver, who used to be one of my closest friends. Well, he's in town today and I was going to ask you if I might not bring him out and present him." "Oh! I'm so sorry." Then after a pause, as if an idea had occurred to her, she asked: