reached her, Lloyd had rolled off her bier to catch Mary in an impulsive
hug, crying, "You were a perfect darling to save the day that way!
Wasn't she, Malcolm? It was wondahful that you happened to know it!"

The next moment she had turned to Judge Moore and Alex Shelby and the
ladies who were with them, to explain how Mary had had the presence of
mind and the ability to throw herself into Miss Casey's place on the
spur of the moment, and turn a failure into a brilliant success. The
congratulations and compliments which she heard on every side were very
sweet to Mary's ears, and when Phil came up a little later to tell her
that she was a brick and the heroine of the evening, she laughed
happily.

"Where is the fair Elaine?" he asked next. "I see her boat is empty. Can
you tell me where she has drifted?"

"No," answered Mary, so eager to be of service that she was ready to
tell all she knew. "She was here with Sir Feal till just a moment ago."

"Sir Feal!" echoed Phil, in amazement.

"Oh, I forgot that you don't know the Princess play. I meant Mister
Malcolm. While so many people were in here congratulating us and shaking
hands, I heard him say something to her in an undertone, and then he
sang sort of under his breath, you know, so that nobody else but me
heard him, that verse from the play:

"'Go bid the Princess in the tower
Forget all thought of sorrow.
Her true love will return to her
With joy on some glad morrow.'

"Then he bent over her and said still lower, 'By _my_ calendar it's the
glad morrow _now_, Princess.'

"He went on just like he was in the play, you know. I suppose they have
rehearsed it so much that it is sort of second nature for them to talk
in that old-time way, like kings and queens used to do."

"Maybe," answered Phil. "Then what did _she_ say?" he demanded,
frowning.

"I don't know. She walked off toward the house with him, and that's the
last I saw of them. Why, what's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing!" he replied, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Nothing's the
matter, little Vicar. _Let us keep inflexible, and fortune will at last
change in our favor._"

"Now whatever did he mean by that!" exclaimed Mary, as she watched him
walk away. It puzzled her all the rest of the evening that he should
have met her question with the family motto.

CHAPTER IX.

"SOMETHING BLUE"

A rainy day followed the lawn fete, such a steady pour that