"It's hard luck," said Crawford, sympathetically. "It will be half an
hour before they get this tangle straightened out."
"I shouldn't mind, Jim, if it weren't for Kitty," replied his wife. "I
am worried about her."
"Well, I simply could not drag her into this coupé and get into hers
myself. She's a heady little lady, if you want to know. As it is,
she'll get back to the hotel quicker than we shall. Her cab is five
up. If you wish, I'll take a look in and see if she's all right."
"Please do;" and she smiled at him, lovely, enchanting.
"You're the most beautiful woman in all this world!"
"Am I?"
Click! The light went out. There was a smothered laugh; and when the
light flared up again, the aigrette in her copper-beech hair was all
askew.
"If anybody saw us!"--secretly pleased and delighted, as any woman
would have been who possessed a husband who was her lover all his
waking hours.
"What! in this fog? And a lot I'd care if they did. Now, don't stir
till I come back; and above all, keep the light on."
"And hurry right back; I'm getting lonesome already."
He stepped out of the coupé. Harlequin, and Colombine, and
Humpty-Dumpty; shapes which came out of nowhere and instantly vanished
into nothing, for all the world like the absurd pantomimes of his
boyhood days. He kept close to the curb, scrutinizing the numbers as
he went along. Never had he seen such a fog. Two paces away from the
curb a headlight became an effulgence. Indeed, there were a thousand
lights jammed in the street, and the fog above absorbed the radiance,
giving the scene a touch of Brocken. All that was needed was a witch
on a broomstick. He counted five vehicles, and stopped. The
door-window was down.
"Miss Killigrew?" he said.
"Yes. Is anything wrong?"
"No. Just wanted to see if you were all right. Better let me take
your place and you ride with Mrs. Crawford."
"Good of you; but you've had enough trouble. I shall stay right here."
"Where's your light?"
"The globe is broken. I'd rather be in the dark. Its fun to look
about. I never saw anything to equal it."
"Not very cheerful. We'll be held up at least half an hour. You are
not afraid?"
"What, I?" She laughed. "Why should I be afraid? The wait will not
matter. But the truth is, I'm worried about mother. She would go to
that suffragette meeting; and I understand they have tried to burn up
the prime minister's house."