"Can't be helped, ma'am. Duty, you know. The captain will soon be here.
Would you like to telephone, sir?"

Hugh stared and looked embarrassed. Who was there for him to talk to
over the 'phone? And that brought another ghastly thought to mind. Who
could he ask to give security for his or her appearance in the morning?
He found words to say he would telephone to his friends, a bright idea
suddenly coming to the rescue. Grace looked her amazement and alarm as
he marched into the telephone booth. Bravely he called up Sherry's and,
with the sergeant listening, he sent word to the head waiter to inform
Mr. ---- (mentioning the name of a very prominent society leader) that
Mr. Smith and Miss Ridge were unavoidably detained and could not join
the party until quite late, if at all. He came from the booth very much
pleased with himself, and sat down beside Grace to await developments.

"What are we to do?" she whispered.

"Give me time to think, dear. I fooled him that time. Perhaps I can do
it again. Great bluff, wasn't it? What do you suppose Mr. ----
will think?"

"But if they should insist upon holding us till morning," she cried, on
the verge of tears, trouble looming up like a mountain.

"They won't dare do that. They'll probably send us to a hotel with a
plain-clothes man unless we give bond, but that's all. I'll try another
bluff and see how it works. There's no use kicking about it. We're not
in a position to stir up much of a row, you see, dear."