"She's left without a cent and unable to work—and I don't know what to do. In an affair of this kind I'm handicapped by being a man."
"Would you like me to help you?"
"I can hardly ask it, but it would be a relief to me," Vane answered with obvious eagerness.
"Then if you'll tell me her address, I'll go to see her, and we'll consider what can be done."
Vane leaned forward impulsively.
"You have taken a weight off my mind. It's difficult to thank you properly."
"Oh, I don't suppose it will give me any trouble. Of course, it must be embarrassing to you to feel that you have a helpless young woman on your hands."
Then a thought flashed into her mind, as she remembered what she had seen at the station some months ago.
"I wonder whether the situation is an altogether unusual one to you?" she queried. "Have you never let your pity run away with your judgment before?"
"You wouldn't expect me to proclaim my charities," Vane parried with a laugh.