“Thank you so much. I want you to tell him that I cannot avoid the opera to-night––that I have simply got to go, but that I’ll get away as soon as I can and come to him directly from there.”
“But you can’t do that,” interposed Sadie in a voice that thrilled with alarm.
“But I am going to do that,” cried Helen, her face aflame and her head held high. “And now we must go––I’d no idea we’d stayed so long. Good-by and thank you.”
She had taken a step toward the entrance to the hallway when Gladwin strode forward.
“You didn’t say good-by to me,” he said in an injured tone. Then with a sudden vehemence: “But I am glad you didn’t, for we are going to meet again.”
“I suppose we shall if you are here when I return,” she said coldly and without looking at him.
“When you return?” he said, in quick surprise.
“Yes, when I come back here to-night,” in the same disdainful, snubbing tones.
“You’re going to meet Travers here to-night?” he queried, in palpable unbelief.
“Yes, I am. He wanted me to meet him at the station, but I insisted on coming here.”