“I’ll see what is the matter,” she said, excusing herself. Hurrying to the door, she opened it and stared straight into the face of the man who had made such a disturbance at the aviation meet! Wags, still securely tied under the porch, had taken exception to the appearance of the stranger and continued to bark excitedly. “Be quiet, Wags!” Doris commanded. “So that’s your mutt, eh?” the stranger asked unpleasantly. “Vicious dogs shouldn’t be at large!” Doris stifled a sharp retort. Now that she saw the man at close range she was more unfavorably impressed than before. He was dressed in a new suit of loud pattern, and carried a cane. His face was hard and cold and his eyes had an unpleasant way of boring into one. Before Doris could recover from her surprise, the Misses Gates came rushing into the hall. “I thought I recognized your voice,” Iris murmured, self-consciously. “We were wondering if you would come tonight,” Azalea added, a tell-tale blush creeping over her pale cheeks. The stranger bestowed upon each a smile which to Doris seemed to fairly drip sentiment. “Did you think I could stay away from two such charming young ladies?” he asked in a strangely softened voice. Kitty, who had followed the Misses Gates into the hall, looked at her chum in disgust. Azalea and Iris saw nothing amiss. One of them took his hat and stick, the other his dripping coat. Miss Azalea gazed admiringly at the cane which he bestowed upon her with all the grace of a sleight-of-hand performer. “How’s that?” he asked in self-satisfied tones as he twirled the stick jauntily before handing it to the enraptured hostess. “Oh, aren’t you clever, Ronald?” “Well,” he shrugged his shoulders as if to appear very modest, “they do say I’m a good entertainer.” Iris shook the raindrops from his topcoat solicitously and hung it up to dry on the antique coat rack in the corner. “You know, I brought that cane over with me from Monte Carlo. That was my lucky day. My side of the argument was right, as usual, so the cane fell to my lot. I told the chap at the Casino how the play of a friend of mine would come out, and of course it came out as I said it would. You understand, ladies, that it was just a friendly little bet, nothing to disturb one’s conscience,” hoping that these last words of his would vindicate any doubts in their minds as to his moral standing. “A friendly little wager,” he concluded, as with a wave of his hand he dismissed the subject entirely. For a minute or two they were so excited and flustered that they entirely forgot the presence of the two girls. Recovering herself, Azalea turned to introduce them. “Doris,” she said, beaming happily, “I am sure this will be a pleasant surprise for you. May I present Ronald Trent, the son of your long-lost uncle?” “Pleased to meet ’chu,’” the stranger mumbled.