"You don't suppose," she said, drawing herself to the full height of her graceful figure, "that I would come here to see Travers Gladwin if I didn't know him, do you?"
"No, no, no--of course not!" sputtered the young man. "It was stupid of me to ask such a question. Please forgive me. I--er"--
Helen turned from him as if to speak to Sadie, who sat with erect primness suffering from what she sensed as a strange and overpowering stroke. She had permitted herself to look straight into the eyes of Whitney Barnes and hold the look for a long, palpitating second.
While Sadie was groping in her mind for some explanation of the strange thrill, Whitney Barnes had flung himself headlong into a new sensation and was determined to make the most of it, so when Travers Gladwin turned to him and asked:
"I rather think Gladwin's gone out, don't you?" Barnes nodded and answered positively:
This reply drew Helen's attention immediately to Barnes and taking a step forward she said eagerly:
"Oh, I hope he's here. You see, it's awfully important--what I want to see him about."
Whitney Barnes nodded with extraordinary animation and turning to Gladwin impaled that young man with the query:
While Gladwin had come up for air he was still partially drowned. Turning to Helen Burton, he forced an agreeable smile and said hurriedly:
"Yes, if you'll excuse me a moment I'll see, but may I give him your name?"
It was Helen's turn to recoil and stepping to where Sadie had at last got upon her feet, she whispered:
"Shall I tell him? They both act so strangely."
"Oh, no, Helen, dear," fluttered Sadie. "It may be some awful trap or something."
While this whispered conclave was going on Travers Gladwin made a frantic signal to Whitney Barnes behind his back and mumbled:
"I will--leave that to me," said Barnes confidently.
Leaving her cousin's side, Helen again confronted the two young men and said tremulously:
"I'd rather not give my name. I know that sounds odd, but for certain reasons"----
"Oh, of course, if you'd rather not," answered Gladwin.
"If you will just say," Helen ran on breathlessly, "that I had to come early to tell him something--something about to-night--he'll understand and know who I am."
"Certainly, certainly," said the baffled young millionaire. "Say that you want to see him about something that's going to happen to-night"----