turned away, his eyes fell upon the scanty handful of small coins
which the waiter had removed from his pocket and for a moment he
stared at them reflectively, then he scooped them into his palm
and, with a smile, announced to his image:

"It would seem that it is time for us to introduce ourselves to
the management."

He was humming a tune as he strode out of his richly furnished
quarters.

The Governor's suite at the Ajax is on the mezzanine floor, at the
head of the grand staircase. As Gray descended the spacious marble
steps, he saw that the hotel was indeed doing a big business, for
already the lobby was thickly peopled and at the desk a group of new
arrivals were plaintively arguing with a bored and supercilious room
clerk.

Some men possess an effortless knack of commanding attention and
inspiring courtesy. Calvin Gray was one of these. Before many
moments, he was in the manager's office, explaining, suavely, "Now
that I have introduced myself, I wish to thank you for taking care
of me upon such short notice."

"It was the only space we had. If you wish, I'll have your rooms
changed as soon as--"

"Have you something better?"

Haviland, the manager, laughed and shook his head. "Scarcely! That