“What’s the matter?” asked the older man, anxiously.
Pearson started, glanced quickly at his friend, hesitated, and looked down again.
“Nothing—now,” he answered, brusquely. “We get out here. Come.”
He rose, picked up the paper with a hand that shook a little, and led the way to the door of the car. Captain Elisha followed, and they strode up the deserted side street. Pearson walked so rapidly that his companion was hard pushed to keep pace with him. When they stood together in the dimly lit hall of the boarding house, the captain spoke again.
“Well, Jim,” he asked in a low tone, “what is it? You may as well tell me. Maybe I can guess, anyhow.”
The young man reached up and turned the gas full on. In spite of the cold from which they had just come, his face was white. He folded the paper in his hand, and with his forefinger pointed to its uppermost page.
“There it is,” he said. “Read it.”
Captain Elisha took the paper, drew his spectacle case from his pocket, adjusted his glasses and read. The item was among those under the head of “Personal and Social.” It was what he expected. “The engagement is to-day announced of Miss Caroline Warren, daughter of the late A. Rodgers Warren, the well-known broker, to Mr. Malcolm Corcoran Dunn, of Fifth Avenue. Miss Warren, it will be remembered, was one of the most charming of our season-before-last’s débutantes and—” etc.
The captain read the brief item through.
“Yes,” he said, slowly, “I see.”