There were kissings and handshakings. Then Mr. and Mrs. Mason were introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Smith. They, it seemed, had been married in the early winter, just as Knight and Annesley had been. And to add to the strangeness of the coincidence, which drew birdlike exclamations from Jean Waldo, George and Kitty were starting for Kansas City that afternoon. They were going by the same train in which the Nelson Smiths would travel. "Why, you'll be together for _two days_!" shrieked Jean. "For goodness' sake, look at your reservations, and see if you're in the same car!" George Mason pulled out his tickets. "We're in a boudoir car all the way," he said. "We start in one called 'Elena.' After Chicago we're in 'Alvarado.'" Knight followed suit, not ungraciously, though without enthusiasm. Annesley's heart was tapping like a hammer in her breast. She felt giddy. There was a mist before her eyes; yet she saw clearly enough to see that there were two railway tickets, alike in every way, even to what seemed their extraordinary length. A flashing glance gave her the name of the last station, at the end. It was in Texas. And their two staterooms were also in "Elena" and "Alvarado." CHAPTER XXIII THE THIN WALL "How _dared_ he buy a ticket for me all the way to Texas!" Annesley asked herself. "But I might have known how it would be," she thought. "Why expect a man like him to keep a promise?" Yet she _had_ expected it. She constantly found herself expecting to find truth and greatness in the man who was a thief--who had been a thief for half his life. It was strange. But everything about him was strange; and stranger than the rest was his silent power over all who came near him, even over herself, who knew now what he was. It would have seemed that after his confession there would be no further room for disappointment concerning his character; yet she was disappointed that his "plan," on which she had been counting, had been nothing more original than to break his word and "see what she would do." After luncheon, when the Waldos and Masons became absorbed for a few minutes in talk, she turned a look on her husband. "I saw the tickets," she said. "Did you?" he returned, pretending--as she thought--not to understand. "You bought one for me to Texas." "Of course. Did you think I wouldn't? That would have been poor economy in the game we've been playing." It was her turn to show that she was puzzled. "What do you mean?" "You never cared to talk things over. I saw you didn't want to, so I didn't press. And when this complication about the Waldos came up, I thought--perhaps I was mistaken--that you--trusted me to do the best I could." "Yes. That's why I expected you not to get me a ticket to Texas." "How far _did_ you expect me to get it?" "I--don't know." "That's just it. Neither did I know. I got the whole ticket, so you might choose your stopping-place."