At the end of this recital of his vexatious experience Hugh seized her travelling-bag, and together they made their way out of the hotel.

“Oh, Hugh!” cried Grace, hanging back a little.  “What did Mr. Woods say to you?  What did you say?  Do you know he tried to speak with me on the train?”

“Honestly, I don’t remember, dear—­sister.  He’s the most muddled man, though, in New York, I’ll bet a dollar.  And now that I think of it, it wasn’t absolutely necessary; but when he guyed me about a runaway match, it paralyzed me, and I had to do something, so I swore that I had never heard of such a person as Ridgeway.”

Grace was too astounded to speak.

“Then he told me of meeting you,” he continued, “and that settled it.  Poor old Woods!  What a trump you were, Grace!”

“You wouldn’t have thought so if you could have seen me when I first boarded the train.  My!  I was blue!  Fortunately, I did not see him until we were nearly here.  Hugh Ridgeway—­Ridge, I mean—­do you know what I did?  It will make you very angry!” she said as they waited for a cab.

“Nothing could make me angry.”  This was said ten seconds later, when they were inside the cab and a nervous, smiling young woman at his side was squeezing his arm expressively.  “Driver!” he called out, “go uptown—­anywhere—­through the park until I tell you to stop!” and turning to her, added:  “We’ll have a bit of dinner somewhere and then go aboard.  Now, what did you do?”

“Well,” she went on, “I actually tossed up a quarter in the compartment to see whether I should go on or turn back.”

“You did?  Really?  Who won?”

“I did,” she answered naively.

“No; I did.  I am beginning to feel too lucky to be awake.  And would you have turned back if you had lost?  Would you have left me here with all this anticipation to dispose of?” he cried.

“If it came tails, I was to turn back.  It came tails.”

“What!  And you came anyhow?”

“Well, you see, after the first flip I concluded to make it two out of three trials.  So I flipped again, Hugh, and it came tails.  Then I made it three out of five.  That was only fair, wasn’t it?”

“Certainly.  Seven out of thirteen or eleven out of twenty, just so you won.”

“I tossed that coin seventeen times, and the final count was nine for New York and eight for Chicago.  The train had started, so I didn’t flip again.  Wasn’t it a narrow majority, dear?”

“If it were not for appearing ridiculous, I would kiss you seventeen times right here.  Oh, how about your baggage—­luggage, I mean?” he cried.

“The transfer man will take them to the dock.  I have ten big ones—­new steamer trunks.  You’ll never know how much trouble I had in getting them packed and out of the house.”

“Ten!  Great Scott!  I have but two!”

“Don’t worry, dear.  You can pack some of your things in mine—­coming home, of course,” she said laughingly.