“Mr. Camp will find that other people can give surprise parties as well as himself,” I said cheerfully.

“You’ll telegraph at once?” asked Mr. Cullen.

“Instantly,” I said, rising, and added, “Don’t you want to see what I say, Miss Cullen?”

“Of course I do,” she cried, jumping up eagerly.

Lord Ralles scowled as he said, “Yes; let’s see what Mr.
Superintendent has to say.”

“You needn’t trouble yourself,” I remarked, but he followed us into the station.  I was disgusted, but at the same time it seemed to me that he had come because he was jealous; and that wasn’t an unpleasant thought.  Whatever his motive, he was a third party in the writing of that telegram, and had to stand by while Miss Cullen and I discussed and draughted it.  I didn’t try to make it any too brief, not merely asking for a guard and when I might expect it, but giving as well a pretty full history of the case, which was hardly necessary.

“You’ll bankrupt yourself,” laughed Madge.  “You must let us pay.”

“I’ll let you pay, Miss Cullen, if you want,” I offered.  “How much is it, Welply?” I asked, shoving the blanks in to the operator.

“Nothin’ for a lady,” said Welply, grinning.

“There, Miss Cullen,” I asked, “does the East come up to that in gallantry?”

“Do you really mean that there is no charge?” demanded Madge, incredulously, with her purse in her hand.

“That’s the size of it,” said the operator.

“I’m not going to believe that!” cried Madge.  “I know you are only deceiving me, and I really want to pay.”

I laughed as I said, “Sometimes railroad superintendents can send messages free, Miss Cullen.”

“How silly of me!” exclaimed Madge.  Then she remarked, “How nice it is to be a railroad superintendent, Mr. Gordon!  I should like to be one myself.”

That speech really lifted me off my feet, but while I was thinking what response to make, I came down to earth with a bounce.

“Since the telegram’s done,” said Lord Ralles to Miss Cullen, in a cool, almost commanding tone, “suppose we take a walk.”

“I don’t think I care to this morning,” answered Madge.

“I think you had better,” insisted his lordship, with such a manner that I felt inclined to knock him down.

To my surprise, Madge seemed to hesitate, and finally said, “I’ll walk up and down the platform, if you wish.”

Lord Ralles nodded, and they went out, leaving me in a state of mingled amazement and rage at the way he had cut me out.  Try as I would, I wasn’t able to hit upon any theory that supplied a solution to the conduct of either Lord Ralles or Miss Cullen, unless they were engaged and Miss Cullen displeased him by her behavior to me.  But Madge seemed such an honest, frank girl that I’d have believed anything sooner than that she was only playing with me.