e wealthy and more than approved of by Mrs. Malling, no
doubt, gave a certain amount of colour to the belief of those who
chose to pry into their neighbours' affairs.

"Anyway I don't think there is room for both Iredale and myself in
the house," Grey went on heatedly. "If you didn't want him you should
have put your foot down on your mother's suggestion. I don't think I
shall come to-night."

For one moment the girl looked squarely into her lover's face and her
pretty lips drew sharply together. Then she spoke quite coldly.

"You will--or I'll never speak to you again. You are very foolish to
make such a fuss."

There was along silence between the lovers. Then Grey drew out his
watch, opened it, glanced at the time, and snapped it closed again.

"I must go," he said shortly.

Prudence had risen from the sofa. She no longer seemed to heed her
lover. She was looking across the darkened room at the homely picture
round the glowing stove.

"Very well," she said. And she moved away from the man's side.

The two old ladies pausing in their conversation heard Grey's
announcement and the answer Prudence made. Sarah Gurridge leaned
towards her companion with a confidential movement of the head. The
two grey heads came close together.

The school-ma'am whispered impressively--

"'Maid who angers faithful swain
Will shed more tears and know mere pain
Than she who loves and loves in vain.'"

Hephzibah laughed tolerantly. Sarah's earnestness never failed to
amuse her.

"My dear," the girl's mother murmured back, when her comfortable laugh
had gurgled itself out, "young folks must skit-skat and bicker, or
where would be the making up? La, I'm sure when I was a girl I used to
tweak my poor Silas's nose for the love of making him angry--Silas had
a long nose, my dear, as you may remember. Men hate to be tweaked,
especially on their weak points. My Silas was always silly about his
nose. And we never had less than half-an-hour's making up. I wonder
how Prudence has tweaked Mr. Grey--I can't bring myself to call him
Leslie, my dear."

Prudence had reached her mother's side. The two old heads parted with
guilty suddenness.

"Oh, my dear," exclaimed Mrs. Malling, "how you did startle me."

"I'm sorry, mother," the girl said, "but I wanted to tell you that
Leslie is not coming to-night." Prudence turned a mischievous face
towards her lover.

Mrs. Malling wrinkled up her smoo