Carlisle was to leave at ten o'clock. Her trunks were packed; her "reservations" lay in the heavy gold bag swinging from her side. Home, somehow, beckoned to her as it had never done before. Besides, New York, with its swarming population (mostly with palms up) and its ceaseless quadruple lines of motor-cars, began to oppress her.
"It's too full of people," she laughed to Mrs. Willing as they shot down in the lift. "It's too big. Some day it will swell up and burst."
"Why, that's the fun of it, rusticus! How I love the roar!"
"I like it, too," said Carlisle. "But I do think it's nice to live in a city where you can _some_times cross Main Street without asking four policemen, and then probably having your leg picked off, after all."
They dashed across the onyx lobby for the main entrance, as fast as they could go, Mrs. Willing remarking that they were almost too late to catch the crowds as it was. From the small blue-velvet parlor, across the corridor from the clerk's desk, a tall man rose at the sight of them, and came straight forward. For a moment Carlisle's heart stopped beating as she saw that it was Hugo Canning.
He advanced with his eyes upon her, brought her to a halt before him. If the imps of memory must have their little toll at this remeeting, the flicker passed through her too quickly for her to take note of it. It woke no palest ghost of rebellion, to walk now. The girl's heart, having missed a beat, ran away in a wild flutter....
"Did my cards reach you?" said the remembered voice, without preface. "They just went up, I believe. But I see you mean to go out."
He looked a little pale under the lobby's brilliant lights, but never had he seemed so handsome and impressive. Carlisle looked up and looked down, and the sight of him there was an exaltation and heavenly fulfilment and a garland upon her brow.
"We must have passed them as we came down," said she. "How do you do? I had no idea you were in this part of the world."
He said that he was just off the train. She presented him to Mrs. Willing, who hardly repressed a start as she heard and identified his name.
"Will you come with us for a little drive?" said Carlisle. "We were just starting out to take the air. Or ..."