emembering Dodo's parting shot at the Dauntreys. She wished that
the idea had not been put into her head; for though she would not
believe that Lord Dauntrey had robbed her, she saw that it was a mistake
to have lent him the capital--a mistake from his point of view, as well
as her own. The money was gone; and even if there were something wrong
in the way of its going, she could not prove the wrong. Nor did she wish
to try. She wished to believe the story Lady Dauntrey had told, which
might easily be true. Yet there would always remain the little crawling
snake of doubt; and that was not fair to Lord Dauntrey.

"It's too, too bad, and we are both terribly upset," Eve went on
heavily. "But it's the fortune of war, isn't it? And, thank goodness,
you've got plenty left of what the Casino's given you, I hope, in spite
of that awful Christmas night."

"Oh, yes, I've got more, in Smith's Bank," said Mary. "I can draw some
out to-morrow, and begin playing again. Tell Lord Dauntrey he mustn't
mind as far as I'm concerned."

"I did tell him you'd be sporting, and that you were a good plucked one,
but I couldn't console him. The truth is, _our_ part of the loss is
pretty serious. The Casino didn't give us any of our capital, you know,
and we aren't rich. We've lost an awful lot this season. Monte Carlo's
been disastrous to us in every way."

"But I thought Lord Dauntrey had done well with his system?" Mary
ventured.

"Oh, the system!" Eve caught herself up, quickly. "Yes, that was all
right. Only we never made much, as he couldn't afford high stakes. But
he's so good-natured and generous. He lent money to others to gamble
with--I won't say _who_, though perhaps you can guess--and never got a
penny back. And some of the people we've had staying here ran up big
bills and skipped without paying them. We simply had to let them go, and
make the best of it. Oh, dear Miss Grant--Mary--this is a bad time to
ask a favour, I know, when my husband's just come a cropper with your
money, as well as his own; but I was never one to beat about the bush.
And you're a regular brick. You're in luck, and we're out--down and out!
I wonder--_would_ you be inclined to lend us--say, a thousand pounds,
just to tide over the few weeks till our dividends come? We'd give you
good security, of course. We have shares in South African diamond
mines."

"I think I might be able to do that," said Mary, who could not bear to
see Lady Dauntrey humble herself