e in ten years in a foreign country had taught Prale many things, notably that everything has its

buildings in the distance and forgot for the time being the scrap of paper, because of his happiness at being home again and his eagerness to land. Returning to New Yor

and started through the jostling crowd. Already those on board were calling greetings to relatives and

rld," he had said to Ru

replied. "The only trouble is, you can't enjoy that sort of friend

s he could enjoy himself after ten years of battling with financial sharks, of inspecting and wor

forward again. He looked down at the throng on the wharf, and up an

n, and finally had obtained an introduction. Her name was Kate Gilbert, and she lived in New York. It was understood that she was of a wealthy family and t

about twenty-eight, some ten years younger than himself. She was small and charming, not one of the

er. It had seemed to Prale that she avoided him purposely, and that puzzled him a bit. He could not understand why any woman should absolutely dislike him. His record in Honduras was a clean o

aboard and, for the first few days, had been busy in their company. The last three days had been st

im, the middle-aged maid

home, Mr. Pra

t you are glad

half a dozen to meet me when I land. I've been trying to

ot be disappoint

ession on the face of the woman. She had been looking straight at him, and her lips wer

empt to lay siege to the heart of Miss Kate Gilbert. He was no fortune hunter after an heiress.

tel?" Kate Gilb

ewhere," Prale told her. "May I be

-and there will be others o

glare of the middle-aged maid. Kate Gilbert was a woman who would appeal to a majority of men, but there seemed to be something peculiar about her, Prale told himself

y an idle question, he explained to himself. In her happiness at getting home, she had m

told himself. Marie called up a vision of a petite, trim woman from sunny France, and this Mar

sion on the woman's face as she looked

has been giving me a bad reputation," Prale mused

manner, Prale lifted his hat, picked up the suit case, and turned away. Once more he tried to force a p

e is something sticking on the

was a bit of paper. It had been stuck there by a

ot throw it over the rail into the water. He crumpled it in hi

e handwriting as that of the note he had found pi

and. Prale put the piece of paper into his coat pocket and picked up his suit case again. That bit of paper, he knew well, had not been on the suit case when

nemy on board, he told himself, some man he had not noticed, and who was trying to frighten him after a childish fashion. He se

a mistake," Prale

man met her, but did not greet her as a father would have been expected to do. Prale saw them ho

ike a swindler

maid and the elderly man again, getting into a limousine. The girl held a piece of paper in her hand, and was r

picked up the piece of paper. There was nothing on it except a couple of names tha

written the note that he had found on the pillow in

--" Prale caugh

ave it in the stateroom? Had Kate Gilbert written that single word and had

peared at the ball in Tegucigalpa-avoided him in such a peculiar manner? And why had th

--" Prale asked

rew up at the cu