of
the others want us."

Urquhart hit the rock with his staff. "That's the point, my child. Do
they--or don't they?"

"You believe," Vera said, "that Lucy is in love with you."

Urquhart replied, "I know that she was."

"There you have the pull over me," she answered. "I haven't either
your confidence or hers. All I can tell you is that now she isn't."
Urquhart was all attention. "Do you mean, she has told you anything?"

"Good Heavens," Vera scoffed, "what do you take me for? Do you think I
don't know by the looks of her? If you weren't infatuated you'd know
better than I do."

"My dear girl," Urquhart said, with a straight look at her, "the fact
is, I am infatuated."

"I'm sorry for you. You've made a mess of it. But I must say that I'm
not at all sorry for her. Don't you suppose that she is the sort to
find the world well lost for your _beaux yeux_. Far from that. She'd
wilt like a rose in a window-box."

"I'd take her into fairy-land," said Urquhart. "She should walk in the
dawn. She wouldn't feel her feet."

"She would if they were damp," said Vera, who could be as direct as
you please. "If you think she's a wood nymph in a cage, you're very
much mistaken. She's very domestic."

"I know," said the infatuate, "that I touched her." Vera tossed her
head.

"I'll be bound you did. You aren't the first man to light a fire.
That's what you did. You lit a fire for Macartney to warm his hand at.
She's awfully in love with him."

Urquhart grew red. "That's not probable," he said.

Vera said, "It's certain. Perhaps you'll take the trouble to satisfy
yourself before you take tickets for fairy-land. It's an expensive
journey, I believe. Had you thought what you would be doing about
Lancelot--a very nice boy?"

"No details had been arranged," said Urquhart, in his very annoying
way.

"Not even that of the lady's inclinations, it appears. Well, I've
warned you. I've done it with the best intentions. I suppose even you
won't deny that I'm single-minded? I'm not on the side of your
solicitor." That made Urquhart very angry.

"I'm much obliged to you, my dear. We'll leave my solicitor out of
account for the moment." But that nettled Vera, who flamed.

"Upon my word, Jimmy, you are too sublime. You can't dispose of people
quite like that. How are you to leave him out of account, when you
brought his wife into it? If you ever supposed that Macartney was
nothing but a solicitor, you were never more mistaken in y