He burst into the apartment breathless, snapping his fingers

from nervousness. Mrs. Merivale grayfaced met him in the hall.

“My dear I thought you’d been taken ill.”

“It’s not that ... it’s about Maisie.”

“She hasnt met with an accid...?”

“Come in here,” interrupted Mrs. Merivale. In the parlor sat a little roundfaced woman in a round mink hat and a long mink coat. “My dear this girl says she’s Mrs. Jack Cunningham and she’s got a marriage certificate to prove it.”

“Good Heavens, is that true?”

The girl nodded in a melancholy way.

“And the invitations are out. Since his last wire Maisie’s been ordering her trousseau.”

The girl unfolded a large certificate ornamented with pansies and cupids and handed it to James.