lified. She was, indeed, amused after the first flash.
Remembering the James of a week ago, the eager wooer of the dark, she
was able to be playful with a little jealousy. But if he could have
known--or if she had cared to tell him--what she had been thinking of
on Sunday afternoon when Francis purred to her about himself and
sought her advice how best to use his ten thousand of Urquhart's
pounds--well, James would have understood, that's all!

So she laughed. "Poor Francis Lingen! He is not very wise. But I must
say that your honour is perfectly safe with me."

"My dear child--" said James, frowning.

"No, no, I shall go on. It will do you good. There is one thing you
may always be quite sure of, dear, and that is that the more Francis
Lingen is a goose, the less likely I am to encourage him in goosery,
if there is such a word."

James pished, but she pursued him. Mabel was announced, up from the
country to dine and sleep. The Parthian shot was delivered actually on
the way to Mabel's embrace. "But I'm flattered to see you
jealous--please understand that. I should like you to be jealous of
the chair I sit on."

James was hurt and uncomfortable. He thought all this rank form. And
Mabel--the bright and incisive Mabel with her high hunting
colour--made it much worse. "What! Is James jealous? Oh, how perfectly
splendid! Is he going to give secret orders to Crewdson not to admit
Mr.--? As they do in plays at the St. James's? Oh, James, do tell me
whom you darkly suspect? Caesar's wife! My dear and injured man--"
James writhed, but he was in the trap. You may be too trenchant, it
would seem, and your cleaver stick fast in the block.

It behooved him to take a strong line. This kind of raillery must be
stopped. He must steer between the serious and the flippant. He hated
to be pert; on the other hand, to be solemn would be offensive to
Lucy--which he would not be. For James was a gentleman. "Mabel, my
dear, you stretch the privileges of a guest--" a promising beginning,
he thought; but Lucy pitied him plunging there, and cut all short by a
way of her own. "Oh, Mabel, you are a goose. Come and take your things
off, and tell me all about Peltry, and the hunting, and the new horse.
Mr. Urquhart told me he was going to stay with you. Is he? I'm so glad
you like him. Lancelot and I highly approve. I must show you
Lancelot's letter about him. He calls him the polligamous pirate--with
two _l_'s of course."

"Yes," said Jame