Orphan. Proprietress of
Piquant Pickles Factory, Cheeving, Massachusetts, USA. Honor, who is
of fair and pleasing exterior, is spending a year in Europe visiting
various friends and connections. Honor is sensitive as to her
enormous fortune, and suspects:--

"_Robert Carr, Hero in Chief_, of being attracted thereby. Robert
Carr is a barrister engaged in climbing the ladder. He loves Honor,
but resents her attitude, and talks assiduously to:--

"_Patricia O'Shaughnessy_, youngest scion of the house. Patricia is
plain, but fascinating, and of noble disposition. She is anxious to
reconcile the lovers. The more so as she herself prefers the
companionship of:--

"_Stanor Vaughan, Secondary Hero_, a beauteous youth of fair estate.
Stanor being ardently in love with himself, does not return her
passion. He treats her with sisterly affection. Patricia hides her
chagrin beneath a mask of gaiety.

"How's that for a start, Honey? Pretty thrilling, eh? Don't be anxious
about the mask! It's so life-like that it deceives even myself into
believing that it's the genuine article, but when dramatic happenings
are around, it isn't Pixie O'Shaughnessy who will stand aside and take
no part!

"On Wednesday we went for a picnic. It was meant to be a picnic _de
luxe_, but fate was kind to us, and it turned out very alfresco indeed.
We started in the big car, Geoffrey driving, and all sorts of good
things piled up in hampers, and at an appointed place the chauffeur met
us and took possession, while we walked on through the woods. Such
woods, Bridgie; all sweet, and dim, and green, the trunks of the great
old beeches standing up straight and tall like the pillars of a great
cathedral, and sweet, innocent little primroses peeping up through the
moss, and last year's leaves crackling under foot. Those primroses went
straight to my head; I felt quite fey.

"Strictly, between me and your sisterly ear, I was _very amusing
indeed_, and they all appreciated me very much! And we laughed and
talked, and finally began to sing.

"`You have a quite too beautiful voice, Miss O'Shaughnessy. Won't you
sing to us in the drawing-room to-night?'

"`How sweet of you! Really, I shall be _too_ charmed!' (This is the
orthodox fashionable manner of speaking. Let us be fashionable or die!)

"We sang glees. Esmeralda and I took contralto; there was practically
no treble, for Honor's squeak was drowned fat