Lorelei abhorred spiders; the picture of some evil-minded
millionaire enmeshing her in a web of intrigue brought a sickening
feeling of helplessness and apprehension. Of course she thought
the idea utterly fantastic, but Jim and her mother appeared to
believe it, and her own notions of the city's wickedness were so
vivid that anything seemed possible. Certainly some malign
influence seemed to be deliberately at work against her, and a
thousand disagreeable incidents, once she took time to reflect
upon them, bore out her suspicions. She was half minded to run
away, but dared not.

Mrs. Knight, as always, ended her sympathetic reassurances by
saying, "If you were only married, my dear, that would end all our
troubles."

The climax of these annoyances came one night after a party at
which Lorelei had been presented to an old friend of Miss Lynn's.
Lilas had introduced the man as one of her girlhood chums, and
Lorelei had tried to be nice to him; then in some way he arranged
to take her home. The memory of that ride was a horror.

Lorelei, as Jim had said, was strong, and she fought the ruffian's
attack with the desperation of utter terror; but her shame at the
indignity was so keen that she refrained as long as possible from
crying for help. Then, hearing her screams, the chauffeur stopped
his car and made an investigation. Fortunately for her, he was
more of a man than most night-hawk drivers, and he promptly
summoned an officer.