"I am sorry, sir," the man replied, "but I am here to see that no one enters them under any pretext."
Arnold looked at him blankly.
"But what is the young lady to do?" he protested. "She has no other home."
The policeman remained unmoved.
"Sorry, sir," he said, "but her friends will have to find her one for the time being. She certainly can't come in here."
Arnold felt a sudden weight upon his arm. Ruth had been standing by his side and had heard everything. He led her gently back. She was trembling violently.
"Don't worry about me, Arnold," she begged. "You go away. By the time you come back, I—I shall have found a home somewhere."
He passed his arm around her. A wild flash in her eyes had suddenly revealed her thought.
"Unless you promise me," he said firmly, "that I shall find you on that couch when I return this evening, I shall not leave this room."
"But, Arnold,—"