“Why, hardly. She just named us to each other, and hurried us off into a tableau, where I found myself kneeling to one of the loveliest creatures you ever saw, whose duty it was to scorn and avoid me with a tragic threat of throwing herself down a battlement of pasteboard at least six feet from the floor. Upon my soul, Ward, she was so beautiful in that position that I could have knelt forever, just to keep her in that one graceful poise; but in the midst of my enchantment away she plunged over the battlement, breaking up the picture in a twinkling, and leaving me on my knees startled out of my wits. The curtain fell, and all was confusion for a time. Before I could get out of the darkness, the girl was gone. I waited half an hour about the scene, hoping that she would appear again. She did come at last, but young Savage was with her, looking confoundedly handsome and tender. I could have knocked the fellow down with a will.” “Did you see where they went?” “Into a carriage—the madam’s own carriage—no hack. There was a boy with them, too.” “That looks respectable.” “But her dress, when she came out, was poor; a brown merino, or something of that sort, with a straw bonnet, pretty, but out of fashion.” “And you wish to know something of this girl?” “I will know something of her.” “Why not ask Savage?” “I tell you, the fellow loves her himself. I saw it in his eyes as he looked under that outre little bonnet.” “And you?” “Don’t question me in that way, Ward. Of course, I’m deucedly in love with her. You must find her out for me by some means.” “That would be easy, if I were intimate with Mrs. Savage’s coachman. He would of course know where he drove the party.” “Well, get intimate with the fellow.” “I will think about it; but now to other business. You haven’t a check for a thousand about you—or two five hundred notes in greenbacks? That was about the amount of your losses the other night.” “What, was it so much? I had no idea of it. No, my bank account has run down to nothing; and as for ready money, I dare not trust myself with it. This filmy paper is so handy to light segars with. One does that sort of thing occasionally. I did the other night. But I’ll tell you what, Ward, instead of paying you the thousand, I’ll introduce you to a fellow that’s throwing away his money like wild-fire, thousands on thousands in a week. One of those petroleum chaps, with wells that gush up fortunes in a day.” “And what is the fellow doing here?” “Spending his money.” “Thank you for the offer of an introduction; but Gould, upon my word, I am in want of ready money.” “My dear fellow, so am I.” “I must have it!” “Indeed, I hope you will not be disappointed.” Gould leaned back as he spoke, rested his head on the crimson curve of his cozy chair, and emitted a soft curl of smoke from his finely-cut lips. “Now, Gould, this is too bad,” said Ward, impatiently. “Remember, this is a debt of honor.”