But already he was urging her up the steps, with a firm yet considerate grip on her arm. Also, he rang the bell.
"Thank you," said Nell, hurriedly. "That will be all, if you please."
"Suppose they should not hear your ring? Suppose you had to sit on the top step all night? No; I should never forgive myself. It is my duty to remain until—— Ah! The concierge."
The door opened and the landlady peered out into the vestibule.
"Madam," said Pete, removing his hat, "I have the honor to leave in your charge Miss Wayne. May I ask that you show her every consideration, inasmuch as she is somewhat indisposed?"
"Miss Wayne?" echoed the landlady. "There's nobody here——"
And then, in a flicker of light that came from the hallway, she established an identification. At the same instant Nell pushed weakly past her and stumbled into the house.
"There! I told her she wasn't fit to go out," declared the landlady. "I warned her. I knew she'd pay for it. But you can't drill sense into some people; not a particle."
She seemed to be soliloquizing, rather than addressing the stranger on her doorstep. But Pete was not interested in the soliloquy. There was a matter that mystified him. He interrupted.
"When I presented Miss Wayne did I understand you to say——"