Wilhelmina Ford. Miss Ford was the young lady who had dropped her handkerchief in his presence in the observation car of the Chief soon after leaving Kansas City. Had she been content to commit merely this minor offence, it is highly probable that Ambrose would have forgotten about her, however perturbed he may have been at the time. Miss Ford, however, had seen fit to carry her campaign through to a triumphant conclusion. Her subsequent incredible behaviour, indeed, had served to strengthen Ambrose in his rapidly growing conviction that every one connected with the movies, even potentially, was a little mad.
On the afternoon of his second day on the Chief, Ambrose had taken advantage of a brief respite from the importunities of Imperia Starling and her equally exigent director to seclude himself behind the closed door of his compartment. He was, as has been suggested, much too bewildered at this time to form any accurate conclusion as to what had actually happened to him. He was convinced that he was either dreaming or drowning or being hanged. Possibly he was insane. There seemed no other logical explanation for the fantastic events of the past two days. They were, he attempted to make himself believe, merely visions, like the temptations vouch-
