eady to be all that was
agreeable to his wife's old friends, but he expected that in their turn
they would appreciate the honour paid by his presence.

As for Lilith herself, a murmur of incredulity arose from the watchers
as she stepped into sight, so extraordinarily like the Lilith of old did
she appear. The pale hair was twisted round the head in identically the
same fashion as of yore, the white satin dress, with the swathing of
tulle round the shoulders, followed the same natural lines. There was
no glitter of gems, but Val Lessing noticed with a thrill of remembrance
that round her throat there were ropes of pearls,--lustrous, shimmering
pearls, for which a man might venture his life. In the shaded light of
the lamps there were no lines to be seen on the quiet face. It seemed
impossible to believe that fifteen long years had passed by since that
white-robed figure had last descended that staircase!

A few moments of merry greetings and laughter, of introductions by host
and hostess, and then the house-party once more formed into pairs, filed
into the dining-room, and took their places round the festive board.

It was a long and elaborate meal which followed, and in the drawing-room
afterwards the guests found a delightful entertainment provided for
their benefit. The days were over when dancing appealed as an ideal
manner of passing the time; to-night the guests sat still and were
amused by others, and as the hour of twelve drew nigh, watched the
performance of an exquisite little masque of the seasons, in which the
old year and the new played the leading characters.

More than one person suspected the authorship of that masque, and
recognised another instance of Mrs Ingram's generalship, in tuning the
minds of the hearers to a desired note, before the moment of the
conference arrived.

They stood together in the great hall, hand in hand, waiting for the
striking of the hour from the church tower, men and women, where before
had stood youths and maidens; together, as the last note died away, they
turned back to the fire, and seated themselves in the circling chairs,
but when they were all seated there were still two chairs which remained
vacant. To the majority of the company the presence of these chairs
appeared the most meaningless of incidents; two only of the number
divined their significance,--Rupert Dempster and the Squire's stout,
prosaic-looking wife. As usual it was the woman who put her though