Page:Barbour--Peggy in the rain.djvu/104

. She became suddenly aware of the curious glances of the persons huddled around them. "Have you been back long?" she asked hurriedly, drawing away from him a little.

"From Aiken? Some time. I left about a fortnight after you did. Do you know that I looked all over the place for you, hunted you high and low? And then, when I finally got news of you, you'd gone! You didn't play fair!"

She smiled, looking away. "It's you who aren't playing fair, Mr. Ames. I thought we agreed that—that a thunderstorm wasn't sufficient introduction."

"You may have agreed; I didn't," he replied laughingly. "I went back there the next afternoon and rode for weeks looking for The Lady and The Tiger." "The Lady—Oh!" she laughed. "That's quite clever."

"It's nothing to what I can do if I have an inspiring audience."

"Meaning that I'm not?"

"Meaning that you are! Meaning that if you'll let me perform for you I'll be as—as amusing as—well, Eddie Foy and Richard Carll and the