When Shirley and her brother reached their common sitting-room Dick
Claiborne laughingly held up the copy of the Neue Freie Presse which Armitage had cast aside at their table.
“Now we shall know!” he declared, unfolding the newspaper.
“Know what, Dick?”
“At least what our friend without a country is so interested in.”
He opened the paper, from which half a column had been torn, noted the date, rang the bell, and ordered a copy of the same issue. When it was brought he opened it, found the place, laughed loudly, and passed the sheet over to his sister.
“Oh, Shirley, Shirley! This is almost too much!” he cried, watching her as her eyes swept the article. She turned away to escape his noise, and after a glance threw down the paper in disgust. The article dealt in detail with Austro-Hungarian finances, and fairly bristled with figures and sage conclusions based upon them.
“Isn’t that the worst!” exclaimed Shirley, smiling ruefully.
“He’s certainly a romantic figure ready to your hand. Probably a bank-clerk who makes European finance his recreation.”
“He isn’t an Englishman, at any rate. He repudiated the idea with scorn.”
“Well, your Mr. Armitage didn’t seem so awfully excited at meeting Singleton; but he seemed rather satisfied with your appearance, to put it mildly. I wonder if he had arranged with Singleton to pass by in that purely incidental way, just for the privilege of making your acquaintance!”