He caught a note in her voice that made him ask with grave concern,
"How is your father, Helen?"
She answered, quickly, "Oh, father is doing nicely, thank you." Then, with a cheerfulness that was a little forced, she asked in turn, "And why have you deserted the club yourself this afternoon?"
"Business," he returned. "There will be no more Saturday afternoons off for me for some time to come, I fear." Then he added, quickly, "But look here, Helen, there is no need of our losing the day altogether. Send your man on, and come with me for a little spin. The roadster is in the next block. I'll take you home in an hour and get on back to my office."
Helen hesitated.
"The ride will do you good."
"Sure you can spare the time?"
"Sure. It will do me good, too."
"And you're not asking me just to be nice—you really want me?"
"Don't you know by this time whether I want you or not?" he returned, in a tone that brought the color to her cheeks. "Please come!"
"All right," she agreed.