Pulling his head into the now-moving cab, George finds the young lady getting up off of the floor where she had ducked down, and composedly seating herself. She profusely thanks him for helping her, but regretfully informs him that she can't tell him her name, or why she is hiding. Accepting this as part and parcel of the extraordinary situation he finds himself in, George asks the young lady if he can drop her off somewhere. She says that she has to go to Waterloo station to catch a train, but then realizes in alarm that, in her rush to hide, she has somehow lost her purse. George offers to lend her the money for her ticket, but explains that they will have to stop by his hotel first to get his wallet. They proceed to the hotel and George hurries in to get his wallet, leaving the lady waiting in the cab. When he returns, it is to find both the lady and the cab gone. The doorman informs him that the lady took the taxi on to Waterloo Station.
Fate having been kind enough to George to provide him with a damsel in distress, he is immediately galvanized into action. He pulls down the window shade on one side of the cab, and leans out the other window so that no one can see in. As they are still stopped in traffic, a stout well-dressed young man comes huffing up, telling George that he knows there is a woman in the cab and demanding to be let in. George cordially refuses, to the amazed fury of the pudgy fellow and the amusement of onlookers. He tries to force the issue, which results in George knocking his top hat off of his head. The fellow hastily darts out to rescue his precious hat from the road and just then the traffic eases and George's cab continues on its way, leaving the stout, hatless figure behind. Pulling his head into the now-moving cab, George finds the young lady getting up off of the floor where she had ducked down, and composedly seating herself. She profusely thanks him for helping her, but regretfully informs him that she can't tell him her name, or why she is hiding. Accepting this as part and parcel of the extraordinary situation he finds himself in, George asks the young lady if he can drop her off somewhere. She says that she has to go to Waterloo station to catch a train, but then realizes in alarm that, in her rush to hide, she has somehow lost her purse. George offers to lend her the money for her ticket, but explains that they will have to stop by his hotel first to get his wallet. They proceed to the hotel and George hurries in to get his wallet, leaving the lady waiting in the cab. When he returns, it is to find both the lady and the cab gone. The doorman informs him that the lady took the taxi on to Waterloo Station. While George tries to figure out what has happened, he looks up to see the stout figure of his hatted former opponent approaching angrily, having managed to tail the cab. He truculently demands to know where his sister is, to George's shock; he had imagined the fellow to be a corpulent lothario in pursuit of an innocent young maiden. It hadn't occurred to him that there might be another explanation. Nevertheless, he refuses to cooperate, and the increasingly heated scene attracts the attention of several onlookers, as well as a police officer who approaches and asks what is going on. George politely explains to the bobby that he has been accosted by the other gentleman. His well dressed and angry opponent makes the mistake of being rude to the officer, who responds by ordering him to move along. Enraged, the fellow loses his head and punches the cop in the stomach. This results in the policeman taking him by the collar and quick-marching him to the local jail, accompanied by a jeering crowd. George returns to his hotel no longer depressed and bored; in the course of one afternoon he has gotten in a public altercation and fallen in love. It's the best day he can remember having in a long time. The next morning finds George still elated but considering his options, which aren't good. He has fallen in love with a girl whose name he doesn't know, nor does he know where she lives or if he'll ever see her again. The only information he has is that she was leaving on a train from Waterloo Station. While pondering his course of action, a letter arrives for George signed "the girl in the taxi." In it, she apologizes for leaving so abruptly, explaining that she had seen her brother coming and had to make a quick getaway. She also says that she remembered that she was wearing a brooch which she stopped and pawned on the way to the station to pay for her ticket. George is filled with admiration for her resourcefulness, but the letter gives him no further clue as to how to find her. Fortunately, enlightenment comes in the form of the newspapers. In one of them, he finds a satirical account of his altercation the previous day. In it, his opponent is identified as Lord Percy Belpher. George loses no time in looking up Lord Belpher, son of the Earl of Marshmoreton, who has one sister, Patricia Maud. George doesn't hesitate: he packs a bag, heads to Waterloo Station, and hops a train for the town of Belpher.
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