seductive. When the guests have departed, and the laughter is stilled,
when for a last half-hour men and women sit quietly over the fire, there
arises in the mind a consciousness of severance with the past, a sense
of newness, which is not untouched with awe.

A new year has opened--what will it bring? What gifts, what losses, lie
awaiting in its lap? When its last hour trembles away on the striking
of a deep twelfth chime, what will happen to me? Where shall I be? In
the language, the consciousness of earth--_shall I be at all_?

The tall dark girl, who had borne herself so proudly during the dance,
shivered and bent forward to warm her hands at the fire.

"Whew! It's eerie!" she cried. "How I hate new years, and birthdays,
and anniversaries that make one think! What's the use of them, anyway?
One ambles along quite contentedly in the daily rut--it's only when
one's eyes are opened to see that it is a rut..."

"And that there are a solid three hundred and sixty-five days of it
ahead!" chimed in the man with the firm chin and the tired eyes.
"Exactly! Then one pants to get out."

"And bowl triumphantly along the road in a C-spring carriage, or the
very latest divinity in motor-cars!" laughed the beauty who sat in the
corner of the oak settle, agreeably conscious that the background was
all that could be desired as a foil to her red-gold hair, and that the
dim light shed a kindly illusion over a well-worn frock. "I object to
ruts of every kind and persuasion. They disagree with me, and make me
cross, and I'm so nice when I'm pleased! The parsons say that
prosperity makes people hard and selfish, but it is just the other way
about with me. When there's not enough to go round--well, naturally, I
keep it all for myself; but so long as I have everything I want, I
_like_ other people to be happy. I really do! I'd give them everything
that was over."

She looked around with a challenging smile, and the others obediently
laughed and applauded. It was fashionable to have a new role, and it
was Claudia's role to be honest, and quite blatantly selfish. She was
pretty enough to carry it off, and clever enough to realise that her
plain speaking served as a blind. No one believed for a moment that she
was speaking the truth, whereas, if she had not distracted attention by
waving this red flag, they must certainly have discovered the truth for
themselves. Claudia's god was self; she would have seen her best f