ed his ear, and Elizabeth, in all the glory of her Paris gown and
picture hat, barred the way, and regarded him with her beaming smile.

"Mr. Herrick, you are quite dramatic; Hamlet or the melancholy Jacques
could not have been more lost in gloomy meditation. If I may presume to
ask the question, why will the Jacobis have to reckon with you?"

"Did I say so?" returned Malcolm, with an uneasy laugh. "I suppose I
was thinking aloud. That fellow Jacobi has been rubbing me up the wrong
way; he stuck to me like a burr, and I could not get rid of him."

"I had some trouble in shaking him off myself," she owned. "You were
quite right, Mr. Herrick, he is not a gentleman, and I dislike his
manner excessively; it is too subservient, and he is too soft-tongued.
Poor dear Die, I wish you could have seen her face when he paid her a
compliment; she looked quite bewildered."

Elizabeth's eyes were dancing with amusement at the recollection, but
Malcolm did not respond to her merriment; he felt things were too
serious.

"I am not at all easy in my mind," he said, and then Elizabeth looked
at him inquiringly. "Jacobi seems to have got a hold on Cedric. He goes
back with him to-night, does he not? Ah, I thought so," as Elizabeth
nodded. "I must have some talk with him; I shall tell him that I
disapprove of the Jacobis, and shall beg him to break off the
acquaintance."

"Oh, thank you--thank you!" returned Elizabeth earnestly, and there was
a beautiful colour in her face; she even held out her hand impulsively
to him, as though her gratitude carried her away. "How good you are to
us--a real friend to two lone, lorn women!" and here something twinkled
in Elizabeth's eyes; but perhaps she was a little taken aback when
Malcolm very quietly and reverently raised the hand to his lips, as
though he were vowing knightly service to his liege lady.

"I should ask nothing better than to be your friend," he said in a low
voice; but perhaps something in her manner checked him, for he added
hastily, "and your sister's too."

It was rather a lame conclusion, but Elizabeth accepted it graciously.
"I shall rely on you to help us," she said very seriously; "get him to
break with the Jacobis, and Dinah and I will owe you a debt of
gratitude."

"Hush! please do not mention names," whispered Malcolm; "some one might
overhear us;" but he was too late, Elizabeth's incautious speech had
reached an unseen auditor.

Malcolm felt a little ashamed of hi