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 explained Mr. Lovering blandly, there—ah—need be no uneasiness as to the result. Nods of satisfaction went up and down the table and the matter of the quarterly dividend was taken up and put through. After that Gordon signed some papers, accepted an envelope containing a twenty dollar gold piece and took his departure.

So far Leona Morrill had eluded him, but he ran across her that evening at a dance. He put his name down twice on her card, danced the first number and sat out the second. But Leona was still adamant. She apparently took a malicious satisfaction in refusing the knowledge he asked. Gordon, grown desperate, charged her with it, and they parted ill-temperedly. Two days later the Siren took aboard a party of eight carefully selected persons and dropped down the coast. But if Gordon hoped to find peace of mind by getting away from New York he was doomed to disappointment. Even the dazzling Miss Standley who, having labored valiantly and failed bravely to make "Winning Winnie" a success at the Metropole, had flatly refused to eke out the season with another vehicle, thereby precipitating a quarrel with Mr. Frohman which was still interesting