els,
and adorned with mother-of-pearl buttons big enough to be used for
saucers. As she passed down the steps he had a good opportunity to take
her in, and when she stopped to give the horse a lump of sugar, a still
better chance for observation was afforded.

He could hardly say whether she was good-looking or not; he was inclined
to think she was. She had a very winning smile--this he noticed as she
gave some instructions to the groom. On the whole his verdict was rather
flattering than otherwise, for she impressed him as being decidedly
smart, and that with him covered a multitude of sins.

At last she took up her skirts and stepped into the cart, gathered up
the lines, and drew the whip from its socket. The groom scrambled up
somehow, and after a little preliminary pawing of the air, the horse and
cart, driver and groom, disappeared down the road.

"Hello, Jack! What are you doing here sitting in the sun? Come along and
have a game of golf with me."

"Thanks! By-the-bye, do you know who that young woman is who has just
driven off?"

"Certainly; Miss Violet Easton, of Washington; very fond of horses;
keeps a lot of hunters; rich as mud. Would you like to know her?"

"Yes. Much obliged for the information. Oh, play golf? No; it's a very
overrated game; you had better count me out this morning."

An hour later, when she returned, had she taken the trouble to notice,
she would have seen him still sitting at the top of the same flight of
steps, seemingly absorbed in nothing.

II

Three weeks had now passed since that 17th day of March, and Jack
Mordaunt had been introduced to Miss Easton; had walked and driven with
Miss Easton; had ridden Miss Easton's horses to the hunt three times a
week--in fact, had been seen so much in the society of the young woman
that gossips had already begun to couple their names.

If, however, Miss Easton and Mr. Mordaunt were aware of this fact, it
seemed in no wise to trouble them, nor to cause their meetings to be
less frequent. A very close observer might, if he had taken the trouble
to observe, have noticed that on these various occasions Miss Easton's
color would be slightly accentuated, and that there was a perceptible
increase in the interest she was wont to vouchsafe to the ordinary
public. But then there were no close observers, or if there were they
had other things to interest them.

On this particular day--it was then about 2 P.M.--Jack Mordaunt leaned
lazily again