it would be a great help. But I hate to take more of your time.”
“I’d love to,” he said heartily. “I haven’t another thing to do this evening. In fact, I’m a stranger in town and was wondering what I could do to pass the time until I could reasonably retire for the night.”
“You seem to have been just sent here to help in a time of need,” she said simply as he put her into the car and then took the wheel himself.
“I certainly am glad,” he said. “Now, which way? Couldn’t we take a shortcut somewhere and keep away from this mob of cars?”
“Yes,” said Sherrill, roused now fully to the moment. “Turn to the left here and go down the back street.”
“I wonder,” he said as they whirled away from the church with the triumphant notes of the wedding march breaking ruthlessly into their conversation, “if there wouldn’t be some way I could serve you the rest of the evening? I’m wholeheartedly at your service if there is any way in which just a mere, may I say friend, can help out somewhere?”
“Oh,” said Sherrill, giving him a startled look in the semidarkness, “you’re really wonderfully kind. But—I hate to suggest any more, and—it’s such a silly thing!—”
“Please,” said the young man earnestly, “just consider me an old friend for the evening, won’t you, and ask what you would ask if I were.”
Sherrill was still a second, giving him a troubled look.
“Well, then—would you consider it a great bore to go back with me to that reception and sort of hang around with me awhile? Just as if you were an old friend who had been invited to the wedding? You see, I—well, I’m afraid I’ll have to explain.”
“You needn’t if you don’t want to,” said the young man promptly. “I’ll be delighted to go without explanations. Just give me my cue, and I’ll take any part you assign me if I can help you in any way. Only, how the dickens am I going to a swell wedding reception in a blue serge suit?”
“Oh,” said Sherrill blankly. “Of course, I hadn’t thought of that. And I suppose there wouldn’t be any place open near here where we could rent some evening things? Well, of course it was a foolish idea, and I oughtn’t to have suggested it. I’ll go through the thing all right alone, I’m sure. I’m feeling better every minute.”
“No,” said the young man, “it wasn’t and you’re not! I’ve got a perfectly good dress suit and everything else I’ll need in a suitcase up in my room in the hotel, and it’s just around that corner there. If you think it wouldn’t make you too late, I could just park you outside a minute and run up and get the suitcase. Then I could put it on in the garage or somewhere, couldn’t I? Or would it be better for me to get dressed in the conventional manner and take a taxi back?”
“Oh,” laughed Sherrill nervously, “why, we’ll stop at the hotel, of course. It won’t take you long, and they can’t have started home yet, can they?”
“They haven’t got the bride and groom into their car yet, if you ask me,” said the young man blithely. “I doubt if they’re out at the front door, to judge by that music. I’ve sort of been humming it inside since we started. You know, there’s always a delay getting the cars started. Here’s the hotel. Shall I really stop and get my things?”
While she waited before the hotel, she put back her head and closed her eyes, her mind racing ahead to the things she had to do. The worst nightmare of the evening was yet to come, and for an instant as she faced it she almost had a wild thought of leaving the whole thing, kind young man and all, and racing off into the world somewhere to hide. Only of course she knew she wouldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave Aunt Pat like that!
And then almost incredibly the young man was back with a suitcase in his hand.
“I had luck,” he explained as he swung himself into the car. “I just caught the elevator going up with a man to the top floor. I had only to unlock my door, snatch up my suitcase, and lock the door again, so I caught the elevator coming back. I call that service. How about it?”
“You certainly made record time,” said Sherrill. “Now turn