stion her as to how
long she had known him, and why she liked him, and what they talked
about, and whether she had been expecting a visit, sitting there in her
best dress. Then slowly she took in the fact that they were going to talk
about nothing but Mr. Lanley's arrest. She marveled at the obtuseness of
older people--to have stood at the red-hot center of youth and love and
not even to know it! She drew her shoulders together, feeling very
lonely and strong. As they talked, she allowed her eyes to rest first on
one speaker and then on the other, as if she were following each word of
the discussion. As a matter of fact she was rehearsing with an inner
voice the tone of Wayne's voice when he had said that he loved her.

Then suddenly she decided that she would be much happier alone in her own
room. She rose, patted her grandfather on the shoulder, and prepared to
escape. He, not wishing to be interrupted at the moment, patted her hand
in return.

"Hello!" he exclaimed. "Hands are cold, my dear."

She caught Farron's cool, black eyes, and surprised herself by answering:

"Yes; but, then, they always are." This was quite untrue, but every one
was perfectly satisfied with it.

As she left the room Mr. Lanley was saying:

"Yes, I don't want to go to Blackwell's Island. Lovely spot, of course.
My grandfather used to tell me he remembered it when the Blackwell family
still lived there. But I shouldn't care to wear stripes--except for the
pleasure of telling Alberta about it. It would give her a year's
occupation, her suffering over my disgrace, wouldn't it, Adelaide?"

"She'd scold me," said Adelaide, looking beautifully martyred. Then
turning to her husband, she asked. "Will it be very difficult, Vincent,
getting papa off?" She wanted it to be difficult, she wanted him to give
her material out of which she could form a picture of him as a savior;
but he only shook his head and said:

"That young man is in love with Mathilde."

"O Vin! Those children?"

Mr. Lanley pricked up his ears like a terrier.

"In love?" he exclaimed. "And who is he? Not one of the East Sussex
Waynes, I hope. Vulgar people. They always were; began life as
auctioneers in my father's time. Is he one of those, Adelaide?"

"I have no idea who he is, if any one," said Adelaide. "I never saw or
heard of him before this afternoon."

"And may I ask," said her father, "if you intend to let your daughter
become engaged to a young man of whom you k