"You're elegant company this morning, I must say," he commented
resentfully.

Again she smiled. "I'm elegant company for myself," she said, and held
out her hand. "Which way do _you_ go?" she asked.

A minute later she was swinging along alone, her shoulders back,
confronting the warm March wind, drawing into her good deep chest, long
breaths. She had just had, psychically speaking, a birthday.

She played a wonderful game of basket-ball that afternoon.




CHAPTER II

BEGINNING AN ADVENTURE


It was after five o'clock when, at the conclusion of the game and a cold
shower, a rub and a somewhat casual resumption of her clothes, she
emerged from the gymnasium. High time that she took the quickest way of
getting home, unless she wanted to be late for dinner.

But the exhilaration of the day persisted. She felt like doing something
out of the regular routine. Even a preliminary walk of a mile or so
before she should cross over and take the elevated, would serve to
satisfy her mild hunger for adventure. And, really, she liked to be a
little late for dinner. It was always pleasanter to come breezing in