Somehow he found his way to McRae’s office, and with shaking fingers lifted the receiver to his ear. He did not notice Jim, who had followed him in and now stood close beside him.
“Hello,” said Joe, surprised that his voice sounded so nearly normal. “This you, Reggie? Confound it, why didn’t you ’phone long ago? How is she?”
“Joe!” came the voice that was the sweetest music in the world to his ears. Just now it was eager and a little breathless. “Is this you, Joe dear? What in the world is the matter?”
“Mabel——” for a minute Joe could not go on. Then he cleared his throat noisily and demanded to know, in a voice from which all anxiety had not yet disappeared, if she was all right. “You’re sure you’re not sick?” he insisted, and Mabel’s reassuring little laugh floated back to him.
“Of course I’m not sick, silly boy,” she said, adding with a sudden swift realization of what he must have suffered: “I’m so sorry you have been worried, honey. Who do you suppose could have done such a wicked thing as to send you that telegram? What do you think it means?”
“I don’t know,” said Joe, feeling as though a thousand-ton weight had been lifted from his heart. “We’ll find out about that later. The important thing to me just now is that you’re well. But tell me,” he added, “why didn’t Reggie call me as soon as he found you were all right?”
“He did,” said Mabel. “You see, a neighbor of Mother Matson’s bought himself a new car and he insisted on our going out riding with him. Poor Reggie had nearly collapsed with worry when we finally got back. Thought we had been abducted or something, I suppose.” Then followed a bit of conversation that would not have been a bit interesting to any one but Joe and Mabel but which they seemed to find eminently satisfactory.
When Joe finally hung up the receiver and faced about to find Jim there, his face was beaming.
“Hello, Jim, you old shadow!” he cried. “Have you been here long?”
“Long enough to learn the glad news,” returned Jim, and he could not quite resist adding: “Didn’t I tell you not to go off half-cocked, especially when Reddy Hupft and McCarney are on the same lot with you?”