hardly to touch the table, she danced as if born to it. It was such an
incarnation of grace and music that a little silence fell on them all. To
Peter she appeared to dance to him. He could not take his eyes off her;
he cared nothing what others thought or saw. There was a mist before him
and thunder in his ears. He saw only her flushed, childlike face and
sparkling brown eyes, and a wave of her loosened hair that slipped across
them....

The music ceased. Panting for breath, she leaped down amid a chorus of
"Bravo's!" and held out her hand for the liqueur-glass. Peter put it in
her fingers, and he was trembling more than she, and spilt a little of
it. "Well, here's the best," she cried, and raised the glass. Then, with
a gay laugh, she put her moistened fingers to his mouth and he kissed
them, the spirit on his lips.

And now Elsie must show herself off. They sat down to watch her, and a
more insidious feeling crept over Peter as he did so. The girl bent her
body this way and that; arched herself over and looked at them between
her feet; twisted herself awry and made faces at them. They laughed, but
there was a new note in the laughter. An intense look had come into
Pennell's face, and Donovan was lolling back, his head on one side,
smiling evilly.

She finished and straightened herself, and they had more of the liqueur.
Then Tommy, as usual, remembered herself. "Girls," she said, "we must go.
It's fearfully late."

Donovan sat up. "What about taxis?" he demanded.

Peter went to the door. "They'll fetch them," he said. "I've made an
arrangement."

He went a little unsteadily to find the _maitre d'hotel_, and a boy was
despatched, while he settled the bill. They were tramping down the stairs
as he came out of the little office. Julie leading and laughing
uproariously at some joke. Donovan and Tommy were the steadiest, and they
came down together. It seemed to Peter that it was natural for them to do
so.

Pennell and Elsie got into one taxi. She leaned out of the window and
waved her hand. "We're the luckiest," she called; "we've the farthest to
go. Good-night everyone, and thanks ever so much."

A second taxi came up. "Jump in, Julie," said Tommy.

She got in, and Peter put his hand on the door. "I've settled everything,
Donovan," he said. "See you to-morrow. Good-night, Tommy."

"Good-night," she called back, and he got in. And next minute he was
alone with Julie.

In the closed and darkened taxi he put