Uncle Ju?"

When she opened the door and dashed in she disturbed the conference of
three men by the window, one of whom was in uniform, and the other two
dressed in the latest fashion, of which Patsy had as yet only seen
prints at the end of her uncle's _Town and Country Magazine_--a review
which, curiously enough, always lacked some of its pages by the time
Patsy was allowed to see it.

"Oh," said Patsy, no ways abashed, "you have come to see my uncle--will
you be seated?"

Patsy noticed that the tallest of the young men made a slight sign to
his companions, and that they sat down as if in answer to that signal
instead of accepting her invitation at once.

"We have indeed come a long distance in order to call on Mr. Julian
Wemyss," said the young man of the signal. "I knew him at Vienna, and as
I was passing through from Ireland, I took this opportunity of paying my
respects to him. But it is better still to find such a charming young
lady installed in his house to do the honours!"

"Oh," said Patsy, "I do not live here, but with my father at the other
end of the glen. I only come every day to cheer him up--Uncle Ju is so
apt to get the 'pokes'!"

"The 'pokes'--what are they?" exclaimed the tall and ruddy young man,
who continued to stare at her in a manner which would have
discountenanced any other than Patsy.

"The 'pokes' are what you get if you are left too long alone with all
these shelves, especially if you stop indoors to read them. Then I come
and take Uncle Julian out, and he feels better before I have gone a mile
with him!"

"So you are a remedy for the 'pokes,'" said the young man, drawing his
chair nearer to that of Patsy, as if to show his interest. "I often have
the disease, though with me it does not come from reading too many
books. But I should gladly take the malady that I might taste of the
antidote!"

And Patsy felt her face flush with the intensity of his regard. She cast
down her eyes, and the young man took advantage of the fact to signal
slightly to his friends. One after the other they rose and, with an
excuse, left the room.

The tall young man came gradually closer to Patsy till she started to
her feet, merely to break the nervous tension. An instinctive repulsion
sent her to the window, and, then, though he followed her, she somehow
felt safe. There were the familiar sands, and in a moment she could be
outside where none could touch her. After all, she thought, as she
looked at