ngs to
another, and to make love to a betrothed girl or a married woman, is
surely paying an indirect compliment to the accepted lover or husband,
as well as a direct compliment to the lady."

"Humph! I hadn't thought of it that way," commented Tony drily. "It
would never have occurred to me for a moment that in making love to
Myra you were paying me any sort of compliment. Here in England, Don
Carlos, any man who persists in making love to an engaged girl or a
married woman is asking for trouble. Of course, I can appreciate the
fact that most women would feel flattered by the thought that a man
like you had fallen in love with them, even if you were only pretending
out of a desire to be polite, but--er--well, obviously Myra appears to
be more annoyed than flattered. Perhaps, as I said before, she has
taken you too seriously."

"Or possibly not seriously enough," responded Don Carlos, his grave
face crinkling into a smile. "I am hopelessly in love with her, my
dear Standish, and mean to make her fall in love with me. What are we
going to do in the circumstances?"

"Really, I don't know, Don Carlos," answered Standish, deciding that
the other was jesting. "It's frightfully awkward. Frightfully!
Er--you see, old chap, Myra says she won't come to Auchinleven for the
shooting if you are going to be one of the party, and--er--well, as you
can understand, that places me in a frightfully awkward position."

"I fully realise that, Mr. Standish," said Don Carlos very gravely,
after a long pause which increased Tony's embarrassment. "I, also, am
now placed in an awkward position. I have told many of my friends and
acquaintances to-day that I have been invited to Auchinleven for the
shooting by my friend Mr. Antony Standish, and now I shall have to
explain to everyone that the invitation is cancelled because my friend
fears I shall continue to make love to his fiancee, and Miss Rostrevor
fears I may abduct her, persuade her to elope with me, or something of
the sort. Yes, decidedly a difficult situation!"

"Here, I say, Don Carlos, you'll make me and Myra the laughing-stock of
London if you tell people that!" Tony protested, looking quite
distressed. "Myra will be furious with me and with you, and--er--I--I
suppose you are thinking I am a mean sort of skunk. I'm frightfully
sorry! I say, old chap, can't you suggest some way out of the
difficulty?"

"Well, possibly if I were permitted to have a talk with Miss