"Just step this way, Madam. I'll take you to their private office," was the polite reply.

Mrs. Courtney glanced in a large mirror to a.s.sure herself that her hat was presentable, then followed her escort. As she reached the partly closed door of the office used by the young decorators, she heard a man's voice. The same voice which had been accusing her chauffeur of bad judgment and ignorance of city laws. Before she could change her mind about entering the room, however, the escort had knocked and Polly flung the door open. She welcomed the new visitor.

Both girls were tickled to pieces to find how their plot was coming on apace: both dear friends were now together at the same time, and all that was needed was for them to be introduced.

"Oh, isn't this just lovely!" cried Eleanor, acting her part very well.

"To find both our friends here at the same time!"

"Dear Mrs. Courtney, this is our dear Mr. Dalken," said Polly, politely.

"And _this_ is the dear friend we have told you of so often, Dalky!"

added Eleanor, effusively.

The lady and gentleman bowed distantly but never smiled; the girls wondered at their strange behavior. Then Mr. Dalken said sarcastically:

"We have met before. In fact, the lady is obliged to me for having spared her chauffeur a fine."

"What do you mean?" gasped Polly, all at sea.

"He means, my dears, that he took us to the police station a short time ago, just because his stupid chauffeur wouldn't back out of the congestion. Naturally, when my man tried to back out the car grazed the one behind, and that started the fight," explained Mrs. Courtney.

"I beg pardon, Madam. _I_ did not take you to the station house. You took yourself in order to save your chauffeur. And I went to see that my poor man had simple justice in the case," said Mr. Dalken, bowing low in mock humility.

"Oh, oh! Isn't this dreadful after all we hoped for!" cried Polly, throwing herself in a chair and burying her face in her arms.

"What is so awful, Polly dear?" asked Mrs. Courtney, springing over to the troubled girl and placing an arm about her.

"Oh, oh! I am so heart-broken over this misfortune!" cried Polly.

"What misfortune, Polly dear?" now asked Mr. Dalken, coming close to the girl.

"Oh, oh, oh! I can't speak of it!" sobbed Polly.

"Perhaps I can comfort her, Madam, if you will allow me," suggested Mr.

Dalken, anxious to take Mrs. Courtney's place as comforter.

She sent him a glance that said as plain as could be: "I can comfort her myself--you need not mind!"

Meanwhile Eleanor stood and rapidly pondered the situation. She felt like laughing outrageously at the prank Cupid had played on them, but she dared not utter a sound of mirth because that might spoil everything. And there might be a possible chance of saving the day, after all.

Suddenly, without any previous notice, Eleanor fell upon the other chair by the table and dropped her head upon her folded arms. Her body shook nervously, and Mr. Dalken believed her to be crying, too. He hastened to a.s.sure her that there was really nothing to cry about, but his a.s.surance only caused the girl to quake the more.

Eleanor was not crying, but had felt that she must laugh or leave the room. As she had no desire to leave, she tried to hide her laughing in her arms upon the table. But when Mr. Dalken began to comfort her, she lost all control of herself and had an attack of hysterical laughter.

The two distraught adults were not able to cope with the situation, and they looked at each other in mute appeal. Mr. Dalken was the first to speak.

"We'd better bury the hatchet and do something for the children," said he, anxiously. "Do you know what to do?"

"Had I better get a doctor, or something?" added he.

"Better get _some_thing," replied Mrs. Courtney, without thinking how silly it must sound.

This sent Eleanor off into another wild spell of laughter, but Polly began to quiet now that she heard her friend making such a disturbance.

The ungoverned laughter attracted Mr. Ashby who had just entered the Shops.

"Well, well! What has happened?" was the natural thing for him to say, the moment he entered the room.

Mr. Dalken tried to explain that a slight shock had occasioned the hysteria, and then Mr. Ashby ran for the jug of icewater on the small stand by the door. Eleanor was liberally soaked with water before she could control her nerves, but once she could gasp again, she cried, "Oh, Mr. Ashby! make our two dear friends patch up their quarrel! I shall have another fit unless they shake hands right before my face and promise never again to act like children!"

As the logic of this accusation seemed apparent to all present, Mr.

Dalken smiled graciously upon Mrs. Courtney and she held out her hand without further animosity. Then Mr. Ashby had to hear the story of the accident.

As it was concluded he laughed heartily and said, "When I came in, just now, I saw two chauffeurs sitting on the running board of Dalky's car, smoking cigarettes and laughing together as if they were twin brothers.

No sign of disagreement _there_."

"Oh the wretches! And in the station house they called each other all sorts of bad names and swore to do away with each other the moment they found an opportunity," complained Mrs. Courtney.

The others laughed at her pathetic voice, and Mr. Dalken said, "When they discovered they were both Swedes they decided they had best combine their forces against the common enemy-employer."

Now that reconciliation had been brought about between these two good friends, Eleanor wondered what next to do to further the match she had determined to bring about. She looked at Polly for inspiration, but Polly seemed to lack any initiative.

"Well, girls! Now that you have agreed to remain yet a little longer on this earth with us, I shall have to be saying good-by," declared Mr.

Dalken, bowing before Mrs. Courtney in his most dignified manner.

"Oh, no, Dalky! Wait just a minute!" cried Eleanor. Then turning to Polly for help, she added, "We want Mrs. Courtney and you to come and dine with us, some evening, this week. Not at Mr. Fabian's, you know, but at a nice quaint little place we know of."

This was news to Polly, but she waited to hear more before she spoke. Mr.

Dalken laughed and waited for Mrs. Courtney to speak.

"What is this? Do you need a chaperone for an evening?" said she, trying to fathom Eleanor's thoughts.

"No, no! But you see, Mr. Ashby always takes his important clients to a famous restaurant for dinner, so we have to do the same. You two are our first big customers, and I want to do the business up as it should be done." Every one laughed at Eleanor.

"Under the circ.u.mstances, I think I should be the host and you three ladies my guests," suggested Mr. Dalken.

"Well--anyway you say, Dalky, just so long as we get together for an evening," sighed Eleanor, as if relieved at the change of plans. This called forth another, heartier, laugh at her expense.

One evening, therefore, the four, now good friends, met at one of the new unique cabarets, and having enjoyed dinner and the dancing, they spoke of Mrs. Courtney's idea of taking a trip to the South Sea Isles. Mr. Dalken laughed immoderately at the mention of the place selected for a pleasure trip.

"Now I am truly sorry you have set your hearts on going to the South Seas, for I had been secretly planning a little jaunt on my own account.

One reason I bought that sea-going yacht was to have my best friends take short voyages with me, whenever we could get away from business.

"I find that I must try to break away from New York in early Spring, and the doctor says a sea-voyage is the best vacation I can possibly take.

Hence I wanted to have my two girls with me. If you are planning to go to the South Seas I suppose it will be out of the question for you to go to the Orient, on _my_ planned trip?"

As Mr. Dalken paused to watch the effect of this speech, both the girls "Oh'ed and Ah'ed" and glanced at Mrs. Courtney. She said nothing and her face was a blank so no one could read her mind.

"I had jotted down a list of names of sociable spirits, such as the Fabians, the Ashbys, the Alexanders, the Brewsters, the Maynards, the Latimers, the Evans, the Stewarts, and Mrs. Courtney with Jack Baxter to look after her in lieu of other escort. It may be impossible for all members in the families I mention to continue with us on the voyage, but they can accompany us part way and then come back home. I planned to go via the Panama Ca.n.a.l, and thus on to Hawaii, touching there for a short visit to the Islands, and those of our party who must return to the States, can get back by steamer to California and thence to their respective homes. We will sail on to the land of cherry blossoms and pigtails. But you girls with one short sentence blast all these cherished dreams."