Ida May had found no difficulty whatever in securing board at the place where Frank Garrick had suggested.
Mrs. Cole, who owned the cottage, told Ida that she was a widow.
"I have a little income that keeps me comfortable," she added; "but to accommodate my friend, Mr. Garrick, I will take you in."
"He is a friend of yours?" exclaimed the girl.
"Yes; I used to be in the telegraph office before I married," she responded. "In fact, my husband and Mr. Garrick were both paying attention to me at the same time. To be candid, I liked Mr. Garrick the better; but we had a little misunderstanding, and through pique I married his rival. I lost sight of him after that until my husband died. After I became a widow he called upon me several times."
She gave the impression to Ida that she expected a proposal from her old lover some time in the near future, but the girl paid little heed to the blushing widow. Her thoughts were elsewhere.
One evening, at the end of the second week, as Ida was hurrying homeward, she was startled by a step behind her.
"You seem to be in a hurry, Miss May," a voice said; and turning quickly around, she beheld the handsome manager, Mr. Garrick.
"I am in a hurry!" she assented. "I am a little late now, and Mrs. Cole does not like me to keep supper waiting."