gauze scarf.

He came behind and spoke to my reflection in the mirror, smiling into
the eyes that met his own blue and unabashed ones in the glass.

"Child, a word with you," murmured the Honourable Jim in his flattering
and confidential tones. "Will you tell me something? Does all this mean,
now, that my good services are no longer required in the way of
introducing to you with a view to matrimony the wealthy alien that I
mentioned at that charming tea the day before yesterday, was it?"

"What do you mean, Mr. Burke?" I said. "What do you mean by all this?"

The Honourable Jim jerked his smooth black head towards the window,
whence he could get a glimpse of the waiting cars.

"I mean our friend, the American Eaglet, who is so highly favoured that
he doesn't even have to wait until Friday afternoon off," said the
Honourable Jim softly, watching my face, "for his flights with the
little black-plumaged pigeon."

Naturally when one is watched one colours up. Who could help it? The
Honourable Jim said rather more loudly: "I'll tell you something. You
have every symptom about you of a girl who has had a proposal of
marriage in the last couple of days. Didn't I see it at lunch? The way
you held your head! The new pride in your voice! Something in the very
movement of the hand----"

He caught me very gently by the wrist of my left hand as he spoke. I
hadn't yet put on my gloves.

"No ring there," said the Honourable Jim, dropping the hand again.
"But--Miss Lovelace, child! Will you deny to me that some one has not
proposed to you since you and I had tea together?"

At that I could not help thinking of poor Mr. Brace in Paris. He would
be coming over at the end of the week to receive the answer which I had
not yet had time to think about. I was so amazed at Mr. Burke's
perspicacity that I could not help reddening even deeper with pure
surprise. The Irishman said softly: "I am answered! Tell me, when are
you going over to the Stars and Stripes?"

Good heavens! what an idiotic mistake. He really imagined that the man
who had proposed to me was not Mr. Brace, but Mr. Hiram P. Jessop, of
Chicago! I protested incoherently: "Why! I only met him last night."

"What is time to love?" laughed Mr. Burke.

"But don't be so ridiculous," I besought him. "This Mr. Jessop has
nothing to do with me! He is----" Here the conversation was stopped by
the entrance of Mr. Jessop himself.

I think Mr. Hiram P. Jessop soon discovered t