Selwyn turned away.  “Love is hardly a term to be used in connection with an acquaintanceship such as theirs.  A girl with a past, possibly—­”

“How about his past?”

“I think you understand pretty well my opinion of his past.  But as long as theories yield to accepted custom a man’s past will be forgotten, a woman’s remembered.  Harrie, if married, would be received anywhere, provided he married a woman of his world.  This little girl would have to pay her price and his, were she his wife, for no one would receive her.  That’s hardly the question before us, however.  To find where Harrie is, find if anything is wrong, if he’s ill—­”

The sharp, sudden ringing of the telephone on the table behind me made me start, and, jumping up like a frightened child, I stood close to Selwyn.  “Who on earth—­ It’s half past twelve.  Who can want me at this time of night?” I started to take the receiver from its hook, but, laughing at me, Selwyn got it first.

“One would think a spook was going to spring at you.  Central’s given the wrong number, I guess.  Hello!  Who is that?”

Watching with as strained eagerness as if I were hearing, I saw Selwyn lean forward, after admitting that the number wanted was the right one, and heard him ask again:  “Who is it?  Who did you say?”

For the next five minutes there was snatchy, excited, and incoherent conversation over the telephone, during which Selwyn and I alternated in the talking in an effort to learn what Tom Cressy was saying at the other end of the line, and what it was he wanted me to do.  Tom’s voice was not distinct and caution was making it difficult to understand what we finally got from him, which was that he wanted to bring Madeleine down to spend the night with me; that they had started to go away to be married and missed the train by one minute, owing to an accident to the automobile they were in.  The next train did not leave until 4 A.M.  Could Madeleine stay with me until train time?

“No, she can’t!” Hand over the telephone transmission, Selwyn turned to me.  “They’ve got no business mixing you up in this.  You’ll be blamed for the whole thing.  I’m going to tell him to take her back to the Melbourne.  They can make another try some other time.  Tom must be crazy!”

“Most people in love are.  You’ve never been desperate.”  I laughed and took the receiver from him.  “Madeleine’s courage will be gone after tonight and Tom’s afraid to risk waiting.  Get up and let me talk.”

Over the telephone I could hear Madeleine crying and I told Tom to bring her down.  Her two-penny worth of nerve and dash had given out and she was frightened.  Incoherently I was told by Tom that Madeleine was being persecuted, and he wouldn’t stand for it any longer, and the only thing for them to do was to get married.  Hadn’t it been for a durned tire—­”

“Come on down.”  I heard a little cry.  “And hurry.  It’s pretty late.”