re like the rest of the
world.

II

Lady Lawless was an admirable hostess, and she never appeared to better
advantage in the character than during the time when Miss Gracia Raglan,
Mr. John Vandewaters, and Mr. Stephen Pride were guests at Craigruie.
The men accepted Mr. Vandewaters at once as a good fellow and a very
sensible man. He was a heavy-weight for riding; but it was not the
hunting season, and, when they did ride, a big horse carried him very
well. At grouse-shooting he showed to advantage. Mr. Pride never rode.
He went shooting only once, and then, as Mr. Vandewaters told him, he
got "rattled." He was then advised by his friend to remain at home
and cultivate his finer faculties. At the same time, Mr. Vandewaters
parenthetically remarked to Sir Duke Lawless that Mr. Pride knew the
poets backwards, and was smart at French. He insisted on bringing out
the good qualities of his comrade; but he gave him much strong advice
privately. He would have done it just the same at the risk of losing
a fortune, were it his whim--he would have won the fortune back in due
course.

At the present time Mr. Vandewaters was in the heat of some large
commercial movements. No one would have supposed it, save for the fact
that telegrams and cablegrams were brought to him day and night. He had
liberally salaried the telegraph-clerk to work after hours, simply to
be at his service. The contents of these messages never shook his
equanimity. He was quiet, urbane, dry-mannered, at all times. Mr. Pride,
however, was naturally excitable. He said of himself earnestly that he
had a sensitive nature. He said it to Mrs. Gregory Thorne, whose reply
was: "Dear me, and when things are irritating and painful to you do you
never think of suicide?" Then she turned away to speak to some one, as
if she had been interrupted, and intended to take up the subject again;
but she never did. This remark caused Mr. Pride some nervous moments.
He was not quite sure how she meant it. But it did not depress him as it
might otherwise have done, for his thoughts were running much in another
channel with a foolish sort of elation.

As Lady Lawless had predicted, he was assiduously attentive to her, and
it needed all her tact and cheerful frankness to keep him in line. She
managed it very well: Mr. Pride's devotion was not too noticeable to
the other guests. She tried to turn his attentions to some pretty girls;
but, although there were one or two who might