"Well, that's that!" said George.

　　"I'm so much obliged," said the girl.

　　"It was a pleasure," said George.

　　He was enabled now to get a closer, more leisurely and much moresatisfactory view of this distressed damsel than had been his goodfortune up to the present. Small details which, when he had firstcaught sight of her, distance had hidden from his view, nowpresented themselves. Her eyes, he discovered, which he hadsupposed brown, were only brown in their general colour-scheme.

　　They were shot with attractive little flecks of gold, matchingperfectly the little streaks gold which the sun, coming out againon one of his flying visits and now shining benignantly once more onthe world, revealed in her hair. Her chin was square anddetermined, but its resoluteness was contradicted by a dimple andby the pleasant good-humour of the mouth; and a further softeningof the face was effected by the nose, which seemed to have startedout with the intention of being dignified and aristocratic but haddefeated its purpose by tilting very slightly at the tip. This wasa girl who would take chances, but would take them with a smile andlaugh when she lost.

　　George was but an amateur physiognomist, but he could read what wasobvious in the faces he encountered; and the more he looked at thisgirl, the less he was able to understand the scene which had justoccurred. The thing mystified him completely. For all hergood-humour, there was an air, a manner, a something capable anddefensive, about this girl with which he could not imagine any manventuring to take liberties. The gold-brown eyes, as they met hisnow, were friendly and smiling, but he could imagine them freezinginto a stare baleful enough and haughty enough to quell such aperson as the silk-hatted young man with a single glance. Why,then, had that super-fatted individual been able to demoralize herto the extent of flying to the shelter of strange cabs? She wascomposed enough now, it was true, but it had been quite plain thatat the moment when she entered the taxi her nerve had momentarilyforsaken her. There were mysteries here, beyond George.

　　The girl looked steadily at George and George looked steadily ather for the space of perhaps ten seconds. She seemed to George tobe summing him up, weighing him. That the inspection provedsatisfactory was shown by the fact that at the end of this periodshe smiled. Then she laughed, a clear pealing laugh which to Georgewas far more musical than the most popular song-hit he had everwritten.

　　"I suppose you are wondering what it's all about?" she said.

　　This was precisely what George was wondering most consumedly.

　　"No, no," he said. "Not at all. It's not my business.""And of course you're much too well bred to be inquisitive aboutother people's business?""Of course I am. What was it all about?""I'm afraid I can't tell you.""But what am I to say to the cabman?""I don't know. What do men usually say to cabmen?""I mean he will feel very hurt if I don't give him a fullexplanation of all this. He stooped from his pedestal to makeenquiries just now. Condescension like that deserves somerecognition.""Give him a nice big tip."George was reminded of his reason for being in the cab.