am very sorry,' he said to her, after making a fearfully bad shot.
'I ought to apologise.'

'At all events, don't always leave the red ball over a pocket,' she
said, sharply; but that may have been less temper than an evidence that
she was really in earnest about the game.

Moreover, they came out victors after all, and she was greatly pleased;
and she modestly disclaimed what he said about her having done all the
scoring, and said she thought he played very well considering how few
opportunities he must have had of practising. As she said so--looking
frankly towards him--he thought that was just the way Nan would have
spoken. The pleasant and refined expression of the mouth was just the
same, and there was the same careless grace of the fair hair that
escaped from its bonds in fascinating tangles. He thought her face was
a little less freckled than Nan's--perhaps she did not brave the
sunlight and the sea air so much.

The evening passed with a wonderful rapidity; when Mr. Tom came back
again into the room, followed by a servant bringing seltzer-water and
things, they found it was nearly eleven.

'I must bid your mamma good-night and be off,' said Frank King to Madge.

'Oh,' she said, 'it is unnecessary; mamma goes to her room early. She
will make her excuses to you to-morrow.'

In an instant the pale, pretty face had flushed up.

'I mean when you call again, if you are not going back to London at
once,' she stammered.

'Oh no,' he said quite eagerly, 'I am not going back to London at once;
I may stay here some little time. And, of course, I shall call and see
your mamma again if I may--perhaps to-morrow.'

'Then we may see you again,' she said pleasantly, as she offered him
her hand. 'Good-night; Edith and I will leave you to your billiards
and cigars. And I hope your prophecies are not going to interfere with
our morning walk to-morrow. When there is a heavy sea coming in you
see it very well from the New Pier. Good-night.'

Miss Madge went upstairs to her room, but instead of composing her mind
to sleep, she took out writing materials and wrote this letter:

'Dear old Mother Nan--You won't guess who is below at this moment--11
p.m.--playing billiards with Tom and Mr. Roberts. Captain King. If I
were he I would call myself Holford King, for that sounds better.
Edith says he is greatly improved, and she always said he was
nice-looking. I think he is improved. He was not in uniform, of
course