y
frivolous party that we can easily afford to be leavened with a little
serious element."

"But I don't mean to be serious in the least," I answered, laughing; "I
have come here to enjoy myself, and intend to be as frivolous as the
rest of you."

"You will have an opportunity this evening," said the Countess; "we are
going to have a special band from town, and intend to have a moonlight
dance on deck. Ah! here comes Charlie with the others," she added,
shading her eyes and looking down the stream.

In a few moments a perfectly appointed little electric launch shot up,
and my host with the rest of the party came on board. We shortly
afterwards sat down to lunch, and a gayer and pleasanter set of people I
have seldom met. In the afternoon we broke up into detachments, and
Vyner and I went for a long pull up stream. I found him a pleasant
fellow, ready to talk at any length not only about his own hobbies, but
about the world at large. I discovered presently that he was a naval
engineer of no small attainments.

When we returned to the house-boat, it was nearly time to prepare for
dinner. Most of the ladies had already retired to their cabins. Lady
Ridsdale was standing alone on deck. When she saw us both, she called to
us to come to her side.

"This quite dazzles me," she said in a low, somewhat mysterious tone,
"and I must show it to you. I know you at least, Mr. Vyner, will
appreciate it."

As she spoke she took a small leather case out of her pocket--it was
ornamented with a monogram, and opened with a catch. She pressed the
lid, it flew up, and I saw, resting on a velvet bed, a glittering
circlet of enormous diamonds. The Countess lifted them out, and slipped
them over her slender wrist.

"They are some of the family diamonds," she said with excitement, "and
of great value. Charlie is having all the jewels reset for me, but the
rest are not ready yet. He has just brought this down from town. Is it
not superb? Did you ever see such beauties?"

The diamonds flashed on her white wrist; she looked up at me with eyes
almost as bright.

"I love beautiful stones," she said, "and I feel as if these were alive.
Oh, do look at the rays of colour in them, as many as in the rainbow."

I congratulated Lady Ridsdale on possessing such a splendid ornament,
and then glanced at Vyner, expecting him to say something.

The expression on his face startled me, and I was destined to remember
it by-and-by. The ruddy look had