nt on unsparingly. "The man's
bewitched. He never takes his eyes off her."

"I'm sure I don't blame him." Lady Claire's tone was most
successfully admiring. "She's too _wonderful_, isn't she, with those
great blue eyes and that astonishing hair! I'm sure Robert is
bewitched, too!"

"Nonsense!" But Miss Falconer's tone was too vigorous, betraying the
effort to rout a palpable enemy. "What nonsense!" she repeated.
"He's civil--naturally--when _you_ haven't a moment for him. The boy
has pride. Too much." The knitting needles clicked warningly.

"Civil!" The girl's low laughter was mocking. "Dear Miss Falconer,
you are such an _euphuist_!"

Miss Falconer looked up, a trifle startled. Her young charge was
more than a match for her in irony, but the elder lady did not lack
for solid perseverance, and she charged on undeterred.

"Of course the girl's pretty--too pretty. And Robert's a man--he has
eyes in his head and likes to please them. And she knows who he is
and draws him on."

"I don't think Miss Beecher cares a twopence who Robert is," said
Lady Claire honestly. "When I told her he was going to stand for
Roxham she answered that she had a very poor opinion of M.P.s--from
reading Mrs. Ward. I can't _quite_ see what she meant--but as for
her drawing him on, a moment ago, dear, you were accusing her of
luring Mr. Hill back from Cairo."

"I said he followed. I daresay she lured, too. The second
string----"

"Then it's quite _nice_ of me, isn't it, to carry off her second
string to the bazaars and prevent her playing him against Robert!"

Lady Claire laughed mischievously, in a flight of daring so foreign
to her usual reticence that Miss Falconer grimly perceived that she
was changed indeed. She thought helplessly that it was a great pity
that young people couldn't be treated as the children they
were--smacked and made to do what was best for them.

"And after all this dreadful gossiping how can we face our guests at
tea?" the girl continued in mock chiding.

"If they are much later we shall not be facing them at all," the
older woman declared. "I shall certainly have my tea at the proper
time."

The sight of an Arab servant with a tray of dishes had stirred her
to this declaration, and promptly she gave her order. In the middle
of it, "I'm always late!" said a merry voice, and little Miss
Beecher and Falconer were standing on the grass beside them.

"This time we had no following engagement," said Miss Falc