hat resentful silence until, far off on the green downs,
we saw moving towards us three specks of colour: a light grey speck
between a pink and a blue speck.

"There they are," I told him. "Miss Vassity and my mistress and her
cousin."

"Give me your moral support, then; don't run away till I've said good
afternoon to them," Mr. Burke said, as if in an agony of shyness. And
then the blue imps came back to sweep the resentment out of his eyes. He
looked down at me and said: "Child! Think me all that's bad, if you want
to. Enlarge upon the affecting 'pity' of it that I didn't stay out
day-labouring in Canada, instead of wangling my keep out of fools at
home, to whom I'm well worth all the cash I cost 'em! Go on despising
me. But listen. Give me credit for one really high-principled action,
Miss Lovelace!"

"What is it?" I demanded rather scornfully. "When have you shown me any
kind of high principledness?"

"This afternoon," he retorted. "Just now. Just when I came upon the
Sleeping Beauty on the cliffs!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that it's not every man who would have woke her up with just a
snatch of song. And I that am so--so hard up for a pair of decent new
gloves!" he concluded, laughing.

And then he caught my eyes with his own, his insolent, devil-may-care
blue ones. He looked down, straight down into them for a long moment.

I felt myself crimsoning under his regard. I felt--yes, I don't know how
it happened, but I did feel exactly as if he had done what he had,
after all, had the decency to leave undone.

There's very little difference, apparently, between a look like
that--and a tangible caress....

And yet I couldn't say a word!

I couldn't accuse him--of anything!

Maddening young scamp!

I stood as straight as the wireless mast on the downs. I glared out
towards the steely glitter of the English Channel.

"Ah, now, why should you be angry?" protested that ineffably gentle
Irish voice beside me. "Sure I'm only just pointing out how differently
an unscrupulous fellow might have behaved. I never kissed you, child."

I couldn't think of a crushing retort. All I could find to say was, of
course, the very last thing I really meant.

"I shall never forgive you!"

"What?" took up the Honourable Jim swiftly and merrily. "Never forgive
me for what?" To this I didn't have to reply, for the other three people
had come quickly up to us.

Miss Million came up first, holding out both ha