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He went back with a tighter curb upon himself and a determination to guard his tongue more closely. Elizabeth felt at once the slight change in his demeanor. But she did not stop to reason about it or to question herself as to its cause. Conscious only of an instinctive, imperious desire for him to be again just as he had been before, she leaned toward him with a jesting remark, and the slow turn of her head, the witchery of her smile, the way her eyes flashed and dropped, strained his new resolution almost to the breaking-point. He leaned back in the seat with his arms rigid and his fists clenched until she, noticing the tense muscles of his hand, laughingly told him he would have nervous prostration if he did not learn to relax his nerves.

Presently the train switched and stopped at a small station, and Adams learned from the conductor that they would wait there, perhaps fifteen or twenty minutes, for an east-bound train to pass. Most of the passengers got out to walk up and down while they were waiting, and when Adams and Elizabeth saw, across the road, beside a restaurant, a little vine-covered arbor in which were tables and chairs, they decided that it looked inviting, and went in to see if they could get some lemonade. It was quite deserted and after a few minutes Adams went out to see if he could find a waiter.

When he returned, Elizabeth, sitting with her face toward the door, looked up with a welcoming smile, their eyes met, and hers did not drop. He rushed toward her, his face shining with love. Scarcely knowing what she did, she sprang to her feet, all her consciousness engrossed in the thrilling prescience that in another instant she would sink into his arms. But at her very side, as he seized her hand, he stopped with a perceptible rigor of muscles and expression. His resolution of an hour before had flashed into his mind and he had pulled himself together with a mighty effort.

A little tremor passed through Elizabeth’s body and she drew back a little as he dropped her hand. “Oh, look! The train is going!” she exclaimed, and rushed for the door.

They ran at top speed across the road, he lifted her bodily to the front steps of the last car, and swung himself upon the rear platform. They gained their seats, flushed and panting, and the conductor, coming to see if they had got on without injury, explained that the east-bound train was late and he had been ordered to go on to the next siding and wait there. He lingered for a few minutes, chatting with them and denying their charge that he had not rung the bell. After he was gone, Adams turned to Elizabeth with a paling face and said:

“I hope you will pardon me, Miss Black. I can only throw myself on your mercy. My only excuse is that I–“

She stopped him with a gesture. “Don’t speak of it,” she said, in a low tone, her eyes on the floor, “and don’t think of it again. In such an unusual friendship as ours, unusual incidents must be–“

A thumping jar broke her speech and a sudden stop threw them both violently forward against the other seat.

“Are you hurt?” Adams asked anxiously as they scrambled to their feet. “There must have been an accident,” he went on, putting his head out of the window. He drew it back quickly, his face white. “Don’t look,” he exclaimed. “There’s been a collision! It’s horrible! But don’t be alarmed. There ‘s no more danger now. I ‘ll go out and see just what has happened.”

“Wait a minute, please! Perhaps you can help me,” Elizabeth exclaimed, reaching for her suit case. “I’ll be needed, and I ‘ll want help.” She was hurriedly opening the case and taking out articles and packages. With face intent and manner preoccupied she appeared a different person. The woman had sunk out of sight and the physician was uppermost.