est moved toward the door.

"Mr. De la Borne," he said to Cecil, "you will forgive me if I decline
to remain here to be insulted by your brother."

The Princess followed him from the room. Cecil and Andrew were alone.

"D--n you, Andrew!" the former said, turning upon him, whitefaced, and
with a sort of petulant anger. "Why do you come here and spoil things
like this?"

Andrew stood upon the hearthrug, and looked at his brother, black and
forbidding.

"Cecil," he said, "my life has been spoilt by paying for your excesses.
Ever since I came of age I have been hampered all the time by paying
your debts and providing you with money. I even let you pose here as
the master of the Red Hall because it pleased you. I have had enough of
it. If you run up any more debts, you must pay them yourself. I am
master here and I intend to remain so."

Cecil was suddenly pale.

"Do you mean," he asked, "that you intend to remain here now?"

Andrew hesitated.

"Your guests are leaving," he said. "Why not?"

"But they may not go until to-morrow or the next day," Cecil said. "I
cannot turn them out."

Andrew stood for a moment looking thoughtfully at the door.

"They cannot stay more than a day," he said, "if Major Forrest is
really their friend. In any case, I shall not return until they are
gone."

Cecil's face cleared a little, but he was still perplexed.

"They had just promised," he said, "to stay another week."

"If you wish to entertain the Princess and Miss Le Mesurier," Andrew
said, "and they are willing to stop after what has passed, I have
nothing, of course, to say against it. But the man Forrest I will not
have here. If ever cheat and coward were written in a man's face, your
friend carries the marks in his."

"He has won nothing to speak of from me here," Cecil declared.

"You are probably too small game," Andrew answered. "How about
Engleton? Did he lose?"

"I am not sure," Cecil answered. "Not very much, if anything."

The Princess came rustling back. She held her little spaniel up to her
cheek, and she affected not to notice the somewhat strained attitude of
the two men. She went at once to Andrew.

"Mr. De la Borne," she said, "I think that you have been very unjust
and very rude to Major Forrest, who is an old friend of mine. I am sure
that you have been misled, and I am sure that some day you will ask his
pardon."

Andrew bowed slightly, and looked her straight in the face.

"Princess," he sai