"Did the butler stop you?"

"Well, yes; he stood at the door like an armored cruiser. I wouldn't
have made it to-day if I hadn't waited until I saw him go out. I knew
the second man was at his home and only a maid in charge of you."

Drusilla was unhappy.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have seen you. It must have been Mr. Thornton's
orders, and he knows what is best for me."

She crossed over to the young man and looked rather pitifully up
into his face.

"You look like a nice young man," she said; "I like your eyes. You
won't say nothing that'll make Mr. Thornton unhappy?"

The reporter took the half-outstretched hand and smiled down into
the kindly, wrinkled face. When he spoke there was almost a touch of
tenderness in his voice.

"I don't care about making Mr. Thornton unhappy, Miss Doane, but I
wouldn't do anything to make _you_ unhappy for the world; and if you
ever want anything of the papers, here is my card. Just you send for
me and I'll do anything for you that I can."

And so ended Drusilla's first interview.

To her amazement the next Sunday there was spread before her the
paper with great headlines: MISS DRUSILLA DOANE, OUR NEWEST