"Oh, we can easily telephone to the house and then, if there should be a
message, we can get it right away, you see. I'll tell them here to write
down any message that comes, and we'll telephone every fifteen minutes
or so."

"Shall we see Mr. Jamieson while we're down town?"

"Yes, we will. That's a good idea. It will save his time, too, and there
may be something he wants us to do."

So they started. Eleanor wanted to walk. But before they had gone very
far a big automobile drew up along the sidewalk, and a cheery, pleasant
man, middle aged, with a smiling face, and white hair, though he seemed
too young for that, hailed them.

"Hello, Miss Mercer!" he said: "Jump in, won't you? I'll take you
wherever you want to go. I've got lots of time--nothing in the world to
do, and I'm lonely."

"Why, thank you very much, Mr. Holmes," said Eleanor, smiling at him.
"This is my new friend, Bessie King, Mr. Holmes. Mr. Holmes is one of
our family's oldest and best friends."

"Well, well, this is very nice!" he said. "I'd better be careful,
though, or I'll have all the young fellows in town down on me, when they
see an old codger like me driving two pretty young ladies around. Where
shall we go, eh?"

"If you're really not in a hurry, Mr. Holmes," said Eleanor, "I wish you