She nodded, suffered him to aid her in the descent to the sidewalk, then drew a deep, unsteady breath and gazed around as though awaking from a dream.

“It certainly was an impressive sight,” he said.  “The Government may thank me for a number of heroes.  I’m really quite hoarse.”

She made no comment.

“Even a thousand well-fed brokers in uniform are bound to be impressive,” he meditated aloud.

Her face flushed; she walked on ignoring his flippancy, ignoring everything concerning him until, crossing the street, she became aware that he wore no hat.

“Did you lose it?” she asked curtly,

“I don’t know what happened to that hysterical hat, Mrs. Paige.  Probably it went war mad and followed the soldiers to the ferry.  You can never count on hats.  They’re flighty.”

“You will have to buy another,” she said, smiling.

“Oh, no,” he said carelessly, “what is the use.  It will only follow the next regiment out of town.  Shall we cross?”

“Mr. Berkley, do you propose to go about town with me, hatless?”

“You have an exceedingly beautiful one.  Nobody will look at me.”

“Please be sensible!”

“I am.  I’ll take you to Lord and Taylor’s, deliver you to your sister-in-law, and then slink home——­”

“But I don’t wish to go there with a hatless man!  I can’t understand——­”

“Well, I’ll have to tell you if you drive me to it,” he said, looking at her very calmly, but a flush mounted to his cheek-bones; “I have no money—­with me.”

“Why didn’t you say so?  How absurd not to borrow it from me——­”

Something in his face checked her; then he laughed.

“There’s no reason why you shouldn’t know how poor I am,” he said.  “It doesn’t worry me, so it certainly will not worry you.  I can’t afford a hat for a few days—­and I’ll leave you here if you wish.  Why do you look so shocked?  Oh, well—­then we’ll stop at Genin’s.  They know me there.”

They stopped at Genin’s and he bought a hat and charged it, giving his addresses in a low voice; but she heard it.

“Is it becoming?” he asked airily, examining the effect in a glass.  “Am I the bully boy with the eye of glass, Mrs. Paige?”

“You are, indeed,” she said, laughing.  “Shall we find Celia?”

But they could not find her sister-in-law in the shop, which was now refilling with excited people.

“Celia non est,” he observed cheerfully.  “The office is closed by this time.  May I see you safely to Brooklyn?”

She turned to the ferry stage which was now drawing up at the curb; he assisted her to mount, then entered himself, humming under his breath: 

  “To Brooklyn!  To Brooklyn! 
  So be it.  Amen. 
  Clippity, Cloppity, back again!”

On the stony way to the ferry he chatted cheerfully, irresponsibly, but he soon became convinced that the girl beside him was not listening, so he talked at random to amuse himself, amiably accepting her pre-occupation.