I think I can enjoy a bit of fun. By the way, how is Nannie, really? Did the doctor give you any more light?”

“Yes, he thinks she’ll come out of this in a few days. She’s undernourished, of course, but we can remedy that in time. But you, how did you make out with that poor discouraged father? It’s his pride that has made all this trouble.”

“Yes, he is proud, but I’m inclined to think the troublemaker goes further than that. The mortgage people are cruel and have scared him out of his senses. Do you know he’s spent the last two days tramping everywhere trying to borrow money enough to pay the interest and a pitiful little sum on the principal? Of course, he is shabbily dressed, and he probably went to strangers and they wouldn’t let him have it. But I told him I would arrange it for him, and he finally succumbed, ate some soup and coffee, and dropped off to sleep like a babe.”

“Do you mean you really can get a loan for him?”

“Yes, of course.”

“But won’t it cost him a horrible amount of interest these days?”

“No, I’ll fix that all up for him.”

“I think you are wonderful, Mr. Madison.”

“Call me Paige, please. I’ll feel more natural that way, and after all the things we’ve been through together this afternoon, I don’t see that we should be formal, should we—June?”

“Of course not,” said June with satisfaction, “but I can’t get over it that you went along with me and did all that,” she added softly. “It was God who sent you, of course.”

Paige grew a bit sober.

“Well, perhaps, though I wasn’t conscious of heavenly direction. There was a telephone message that obviously was important, a little girl dying, and you had no car to go. Why shouldn’t I take you? It wasn’t a great thing to do.”

“No, of course not. And it wasn’t anything to lend that man the money to hold his house, and all the rest that you did. Only a true servant of the Lord would have done all that, I am sure.”

She gave him a bright look that had in it a question, and was almost embarrassing to him.

“Well, I don’t know that I can exactly claim that title,” he said with some hesitancy. “Of course, I’m a church member, have been since I was a child, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all that. You know, in the army you learn to look facts in the face, and you don’t rate yourself in the face of death the way you did at home where everything was calm and serene and it was the respectable thing to serve the Lord. But out among the men, who were many of them cursing and swearing and taking death as a part of the game, one got lax. I admit I did. I’m not just altogether sure what the Lord thinks of me now.”

“Oh!” said June. Then after a pause, “But you’ll be finding out pretty soon, I’m sure. After all, the world is alike everywhere, and there are too many risks in every day for a thinking person to let the really important things go.”

Paige was silent for a full minute, and then he said in a serious voice, “I guess you’re right about that.”

They were coming into town now and presently came to the crossroads. Paige turned and looked down at the girl beside him, while the spotlight touched her lovely, earnest face, and thought how charming she was. Somehow the words she had just spoken went deep into his heart. He would be thinking about them again.

And now on the highway the traffic took his attention, so that they did very little talking until they swept into the curved drive before the imposing hotel.

June gave a little gasp as she watched a grand car disgorge a merry throng of passengers.

“Are you sure you want to take me into a place like that, looking this way?”

“I am sure!” said the young man firmly.

“But I haven’t even a hat on!”

Paige gave attention to the people who were going in.

“Neither have a lot of them. But if it’s a hat you want, we’ll soon remedy that.”

He drew up at the sidewalk and motioned to a man who was standing there, conspicuously offering flowers for sale.

“Got any gardenias?” Paige asked nonchalantly.

“Sure thing,” said the man, and he produced a white box with three enormous lovely blooms.

“That’s the thing,” said Paige. “Got any pins to fasten them on with?” The vendor handed over a little bunch of invisible hairpins.

“I see you are ready for all emergencies,” said Paige. “There, June. Put them on, and you’ll be as well fixed as any of the other patrons. Those who pretended to have hats had nothing but a couple of big sunflowers or roses or something of the sort. Put them on.”

“But, Paige! With a gingham dress? Such lovely things! It wouldn’t be suitable.”

“But I say it would, and you’re my girl tonight.