He asked me to meet him in half an hour at the St. R---- Hotel, and
directed me explicitly what car to take to get there, telling me to
write it down. I was to have 'Mandy put me on this car, and I must be
sure to tell the conductor to let me off at this hotel. The car stopped
in front of it.
I wrote a note to Dr. Manning before going. I said I was sorry to leave
in this way, but despite what he had said, I could not trust him. I
added that I was so unhappy I had decided the best thing for me to do
was to go at once. I left the note with 'Mandy, whom I kissed good-by,
something I had never dreamed I could do, kiss a black girl! All the
way on the car I was desperately afraid the conductor would not let
me off at the right place, and I asked him so often that finally, in
exasperation, he refused to answer me. When we at last reached there,
he wrathfully shouted the name of the hotel into the car, though he did
not need to cry, "Step lively!"
X
Mr. Hamilton was waiting for me outside the hotel. He gave my bag to
a boy, who produced it later, and then took me to a corner of the
drawing-room. Almost at once he said:
"I expected to hear from you, but not so soon."
"You were expecting?" I said. "Why?"
"Well," he said rather reluctantly, "I had a hunch you would not stay
there long. Just what happened?"