aroused, as is the case this
morning. Is conservation your sole object, then?"

"Is not that enough?"

"I suppose it is. I know little of civil engineering, absorbing craft
though it is. I have seen its marvels along your own lines in America,
Egypt, India, and elsewhere. As we progressed I could not help noticing
that the dams built to restrain these lakes seemed unnecessarily
strong."

A slight shadow of annoyance flitted across the expressive countenance
of Constance Maturin, but was gone before he saw it.

"You are shrewder than you admit, Lord Stranleigh, but you forget what I
said about freshets. The lakes are placid enough now, but you should see
them after a cloud-burst back in the mountains."

"Nevertheless, the dams look bulky enough to hold back the Nile."

"Appearances are often deceitful. They are simply strong enough for the
work they have to do. American engineering practice does not go in for
useless encumbrance. Each dam serves two purposes. It holds back the
water and it contains a power-house. In some of these power-houses
turbines and dynamoes are already placed."

"Ah, now I understand. You must perceive that I am a very stupid
individual."

"You are a very persistent person," said the young woman decisively.

Stranleigh laughed.

"Allow me to take advantage of that reputation by asking you what you
intend to do with the electricity when you have produced it?"

"We have no plans."

"Oh, I say!"

"_What_ do you say?"

"That was merely an Anglicised expression of astonishment."

"Don't you believe me?"

"No."

They were sitting together on the automobile seat, deep in the shade
of the foliage above them, but when he caught sight of the indignant
face which she turned towards him, it almost appeared as if the sun
shone upon it. She seemed about to speak, thought better of it, and
reached forward to the little lever that controlled the self-starting
apparatus. She found his hand there before she could carry out her
intention.

"I am returning, Lord Stranleigh," she said icily.

"Not yet."

She leaned back in the seat.

"Mr. Trenton told me that you were the most polite man he had ever met.
I have seldom found him so mistaken in an impression."

"Was it a polite man you set out to find in your recent trip to Europe?"

As the girl made no reply, Stranleigh went on--

"My politeness is something like the dams we have been considering. It
contains more than appears on the s