“Well, read that story when you get home to-night, Miss, and maybe you’ll know what your young gentleman here went through.”

Her “young gentleman!” But Angela did not smile.  A thing would have had to be very funny to strike her as laughable just then.

“No, don’t read it to-night,” said Nick.  “Wait till another time.”

“Will you forgive me?” she asked, looking at him.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t suppose you’d mind much.”

“I was in—­Hades for a few minutes,” said Nick, hastily qualifying the remark he had been about to make.

XXI

“WHO IS MRS. MAY?”

Only one letter had Nick written to Carmen Gaylor—­the one he had promised to write, telling her of his arrival in New York; that he was “pretty lonely, and didn’t know how long he could stand for seeing no home sights.”  It never occurred to him to write again; and Carmen was not surprised at his remissness.  She knew that Nick was not the sort of man who likes to write letters or can put his feelings upon paper.  But when she received her invitation to visit Rushing River Camp, she could have sung for joy.

“We are hoping that an old friend of yours, Mr. Nickson Hilliard, may be with us when you come; as well as Miss Dene, the authoress,” Mrs. Harland said in her note.  And Carmen believed that she had Hilliard to thank for the compliment paid her by Falconer and his sister.

She knew that he had met Falconer and admired him; and putting two and two together, she fancied that already Nick must have come West, meaning to surprise her by his sudden appearance; that he had fallen in with Mrs. Harland and Falconer on the journey, perhaps been invited by them, and suggested, or at least hinted, that she should be asked to join the house-party at the same time.

“Otherwise, I don’t believe they’d ever have thought of me,” she told herself, with a humility which would have had an element of sulkiness if she had not been half out of her wits with happiness over the idea that Nick was near, and wanting her.  If he had not wanted her, he would not have schemed to have her with him at Rushing River Camp.

All the anxieties and suspicions of the past weeks were forgotten.  She telegraphed her acceptance, and began thinking what to wear during the visit.  She admitted in her mind that Mrs. Harland was a “bigger swell” than she, and knew more of the world and Society.  But she determined that the hostess should not outdo her guest in the way of “smart” dresses, hats, and jewellery.

Carmen broke her journey at San Francisco, staying there two days at the Palace Hotel.  On the first of these days, as it happened, Nick and Angela motored to Mount Hamilton, and stayed late at the Lick Observatory.  On the second day they went to Mount Tamalpais, lunching at the delightful “tavern” on the mountain-top, and rushing madly down the wondrous steeps at sunset, in the little “gravity car” guided by the landlord.