“Does he know me?” queried Ruth as they descended.

“He surely does.  He knows all there is to know about you, Miss Elinor Ruth Farringdon.  He ought to.  He is your cousin and he married your best friend, Nan—­”

“Wait!” cried Ruth excitedly, “it’s coming back.  He married Nancy Hollinger and she gave me some San Francisco addresses of some friends of hers just before I sailed.  They were in that envelope.  I threw away the addresses when I left San Francisco and tucked my tickets into it.  Why, Larry, I’m remembering—­really remembering,” she stopped short on the stairs to exclaim in a startled incredulous tone.

“Of course you are remembering, sweetheart,” echoed Larry happily.  “Come on down and remember the rest with Annersley’s help.  He is some cousin.  You’d better be prepared to be horribly proud of him.  He is a captain and wears all kinds of honorable and distinguished dingle dangles and decorations as well as a romantic limp and a magnificent gash on his cheek which he evidently didn’t get shaving.”

Larry jested because he knew Ruth was growing nervous.  He could feel her tremble against his arm.  He was more than a little anxious as to the outcome of the thing itself.  The shock and the strain of meeting Geoffrey Annersley were going to be rather an ordeal he knew.

They entered the living room and paused on the threshold, Larry’s arm still around the girl.  Doctor Holiday and the captain both rose.  The latter limped gallantly toward Ruth who stared at him an instant and then flung herself away from Larry into the other man’s arms.

“Geoff!  Geoff!” she cried.

For a moment nothing more was said then Ruth drew herself away.

“Geoffrey Annersley, why did you ever, ever make me wear that horrid ring?” she demanded reproachfully.  “Larry and I could have married each other months ago if you hadn’t.  It was the silliest idea anyway and it’s all your fault—­everything.”

He laughed at that, a, big whole-souled hearty laugh that came from the depths of him.

“That sounds natural,” he said.  “Every scrape you ever enticed me into as a kid was always my fault somehow.  Are you real, Elinor?  I can’t help thinking I am seeing a ghost.  Do you really remember me?” anxiously.

“Of course I remember you.  Listen, Geoff.  Listen hard.”

And unexpectedly Ruth pursed her pretty lips and whistled a merry, lilting bar of melody.

“By Jove!” exulted the captain.  “That does sound like old times.”

“Don’t tell me I don’t remember,” she flashed back happy and excited beyond measure at playing this new remembering game.  “That was our special call, yours and Rod’s and mine.  Oh Rod!” And at that all the joy went out of the eager, flushed face.  She went back into her cousin’s arms again, sobbing in heart breaking fashion.  The turning tide of memory had brought back wreckage of grief as well as joy.  In Geoffrey Annersley’s arms Ruth mourned her brother’s loss for the first time.  Larry sent his uncle a quick look and went out of the room.  The older doctor followed.  Ruth and her cousin were left alone to pick up the dropped threads of the past.