III
GEORGE hid her. He did it, too, without wasting precious time by asking questions. In a situation which might well have thrown the quickest witted of men off his balance, he acted with promptitude, intelligence and dispatch. The fact is, George had for years been an assiduous golfer; and there is no finer school for teaching concentration and a strict attention to the matter in hand. Few crises, however unexpected, have the power to disturb a man who has so conquered the weakness of the flesh as to have trained himself to bend his left knee, raise his left heel, swing his arms well out from the body, twist himself into the shape of a corkscrew, and use the muscles of the wrist, at the same time keeping his head still and his eye on the ball. It is estimated that there are twenty-three important points to be borne in mind simultaneously while making a drive at golf; and to the man who has mastered the art of remembering them all the task of hiding girls in taxicabs is mere child’s play. To pull down the blinds on the side of the vehicle nearest the curb was with George the work of a moment. Then he leaned out of the center window in such a manner as completely to screen the interior of the cab from public view.
“Thank you so much,” murmured a voice behind him. It seemed to come from the floor.
“Not at all,” said George, trying a sort of vocal chipshot out of the corner of his mouth, designed to 40
