It was not till the following Friday that Sally was able to start forDetroit. She arrived on the Saturday morning and drove to the HotelStatler. Having ascertained that Gerald was stopping in the hotel andhaving 'phoned up to his room to tell him to join her, she went into thedining-room and ordered breakfast.

　　She felt low-spirited as she waited for the food to arrive. The nursingof Mr. Faucitt had left her tired, and she had not slept well on thetrain. But the real cause of her depression was the fact that there hadbeen a lack of enthusiasm in Gerald's greeting over the telephone justnow. He had spoken listlessly, as though the fact of her returning afterall these weeks was a matter of no account, and she felt hurt andperplexed.

　　A cup of coffee had a stimulating effect. Men, of course, were alwayslike this in the early morning. It would, no doubt, be a very differentGerald who would presently bound into the dining-room, quickened andrestored by a cold shower-bath. In the meantime, here was food, and sheneeded it.

　　She was pouring out her second cup of coffee when a stout young man, ofwhom she had caught a glimpse as he moved about that section of thehotel lobby which was visible through the open door of the dining-room,came in and stood peering about as though in search of someone. Themomentary sight she had had of this young man had interested Sally. Shehad thought how extraordinarily like he was to her brother Fillmore. Nowshe perceived that it was Fillmore himself.

　　Sally was puzzled. What could Fillmore be doing so far west? She hadsupposed him to be a permanent resident of New York. But, of course,your man of affairs and vast interests flits about all over the place.

　　At any rate, here he was, and she called him. And, after he had stood inthe doorway looking in every direction except the right one for anotherminute, he saw her and came over to her table.

　　"Why, Sally?" His manner, she thought, was nervous--one might almosthave said embarrassed. She attributed this to a guilty conscience.

　　Presently he would have to break to her the news that he had becomeengaged to be married without her sisterly sanction, and no doubt he waswondering how to begin. "What are you doing here? I thought you were inEurope.""I got back a week ago, but I've been nursing poor old Mr. Faucitt eversince then. He's been ill, poor old dear. I've come here to see Mr.

　　Foster's play, 'The Primrose Way,' you know. Is it a success?""It hasn't opened yet.""Don't be silly, Fill. Do pull yourself together. It opened lastMonday.""No, it didn't. Haven't you heard? They've closed all the theatresbecause of this infernal Spanish influenza. Nothing has been playingthis week. You must have seen it in the papers.""I haven't had time to read the papers. Oh, Fill, what an awful shame!""Yes, it's pretty tough. Makes the company all on edge. I've had thedarndest time, I can tell you.""Why, what have you got to do with it?"Fillmore coughed.