"It’s a curious thing," he thought, "that a man, part of whose profession is to write about love and analyze it, doesn’t know whether he’s in love or not." It was quite true. He didn’t know. Accepted symptoms were lacking. He had not awakened thrilled with happiness at the memory of the night before. He awoke dazed and doubtful that all these things had happened, worried, searching in his mind for some reason for his behaviour. And, except that a man had taken her out of his keeping, and that resentment and jealousy had incited him to recover her, and, further, in the excitement of the attempt, that he had suddenly found himself involved in deeper, fiercer emotions than he had bargained for, he could come to no conclusion concerning his actual feeling for Stephanie. He spent the day hunting for a studio-apartment. About five o’clock he called her on the telephone; and heard her voice presently: "Have you quite recovered, Jim? I feel splendid!" "Recovered? I was all right this morning when I woke up." "I mean your senses?" "Oh. Did you think I lost them last night, Steve?" "Didn’t you?" Her voice was very sweet but there was in it a hint of hidden laughter. "No," he said shortly. "Oh. Then you really were in your right senses last night?" she inquired. "Certainly. Were you?" "Well, for a little while I seemed to have lost the power of thinking. But after that I was intensely, consciously, deeply interested and profoundly curious." He could hear her laughing. "Curious about what?" he demanded. "About your state of mind, Jim. The situation was such a novelty, too. I was trying to comprehend it—trying to consider what a girl should do in such a curious emergency." "Emergency?" he repeated. "Certainly. Do you fancy I’m accustomed to such novelties as you introduced me to last night?" "What do you think about them now?" "I’m slightly ashamed of us both. We _were_ rather silly, you know——" "_You_ were not," he interrupted drily. "Is that a tribute or a reproach?" came her gay voice over the wire. "I don’t quite know how to take it!" "Reassure yourself, Steve. You were most circumspect and emotionless——" "Jim! That is brutal and untrue! I was not circumspect!" "You were the other, then." "What a perfectly cruel and outrageous slander! You’ve made me unhappy, now. And all day I’ve been so absolutely happy in thinking of what happened." "Is that true?" he asked in an altered voice. "Of course it’s true!" "You just said you were ashamed——" "I was, very, very slightly; but I’ve been too happy to be very much ashamed!" "You darling!——" "Oh! The gentleman bestows praise! Such a kind gentleman to perceive merit and confer his distinguished approval. Any girl ought to endeavour to earn further marks of consideration and applause from so gracious a gentleman——" "Steve, you tormenting little wretch, can’t you be serious with me?" "I am," she said, laughing. "Tell me what you’ve been doing to-day?"