ht in
and fall upon the man that you are being at home to just then."

"But he is a very large man," said Mrs. Rosscott seriously; "he's larger
than you are, I think."

Jack felt the blue heavens breaking up into thunderbolts for his head at
_this_ speech.

"But I'm 'way over six feet," he said, his heart going heavily faster,
even while he told himself that he might have known it, anyhow.

"He's all of six feet two," she said meditatively. "I do believe he's even
taller. I remember liking him at the first glance, just because he struck
me as so royal looking."

He was miserably conscious of acute distress.

"Do--do you mind my smoking?" he stammered.

(Might have known that, of course, there was bound to be someone like
that.)

"Not at all," she rejoined amiably. "I like the odor of cigarettes. Shall
I stop a little, while you set yourself afire?"

"It isn't necessary," he said. "I can set myself afire under any
circumstances."

He lit a cigarette.

"Is he English?" he couldn't help asking then.

"Yes," she said; "I like the English."

"You appear to like everything to-day." He did not intend to seem bitter,
but he did it unintentionally.

(Confounded luck some fellows have.)

"I do. I'm very well content to-day."

He was silent, thinking.

"Well," she queried, after a while.

He pulled himself together with an effort.

"I think perhaps it's just as well," he said.

"What is just as well?"

"That I know."

"Know what?"

"About him. I shan't ever take the chances of calling on you now."

She laughed.

"He wouldn't put you out unless I told him to," she said. "You needn't be
too afraid of him, you know."

His face grew a trifle flushed.

"I'm not afraid," he said, as coldly as it was in him to speak; "but I'll
leave him the field."

She turned and looked at him.

"The field?" she asked, with puzzled eyebrows.

"Yes."

Then she frowned for an instant, and then a species of thought-ray
suddenly flew across her face and she burst out laughing.

"Why, I do believe," she cried merrily, "I do believe you're jealous of
the man at the door."

"Weren't you speaking of a man in the drawing-room?" he asked, all her
phrases recurring to his mind together.

"No," she said laughing; "I was speaking of my footman. Oh, you are so
funny."

The way the sun shone suddenly again! His horizon glowed so madly that he
quite lost his head and leaning quickly downward seized her hand in its
litt