later.

Lamont's eyes sparkled with joy as he saw her, for she was resplendent
in a dream of white lace, and wore all her magnificent diamonds.

He was obliged to promenade and dance with her for an hour or so,
although he knew his companions would be waiting with the utmost
impatience on the shore.

When he proposed the stroll, he looked at her keenly, his lips apart,
intense eagerness in his voice.

To his great relief, she acquiesced at once.

"Though," she added, laughingly, "I do not suppose it would be as safe
to wear all my diamonds on the beach as it would be if we just
promenaded the piazza."

"It would be a thousand times more romantic," he whispered, his glance
thrilling her through and through, his hand tightening over the little
one resting on his arm.

And so, as the moth follows the flickering, dancing flame, foolish Sally
Gardiner, without a thought of danger, took the arm of the handsome
stranger whom she had known but a few short weeks, and sauntered out
upon the beach with him.

There were hundreds of promenaders, and no one noticed them
particularly.

On and on they walked, Lamont whispering soft, sweet nothings into her
foolish ears, until they had left most of the throng far behind them.

"Hack, sir!--hack to ride up and down the beach!" exclaimed a man,
stopping a pair of mettlesome horses almost directly in front of them.

Victor Lamont appeared to hesitate an instant; but in that instant he
and the driver had exchanged meaning glances.

"Shall we not ride up and down, instead of walking?" suggested Lamont,
eagerly. "I--I have something to tell you, and I may never have such an
opportunity again. We can ride down as far as the light-house on the
point, and back. Do not refuse me so slight a favor, I beg of you."

If she had stopped to consider, even for one instant, she would have
declined the invitation; but, almost before she had decided whether she
should say yes or no, Victor Lamont had lifted her in his strong arms,
placed her in the cab, and sprung in after her.

Pretty, jolly Sally Gardiner looked a trifle embarrassed.

"Oh, how imprudent, Mr. Lamont!" she cried, clinging to his arm, as the
full consciousness of the situation seemed to occur to her. "We had
better get out, and walk back to the Ocean House."

But it was too late for objections. The driver had already whipped up
his horses, and instead of creeping wearily along, after the fashion of
tired hack horses, th