* *

"Virginia Suydam is rather an isolated girl," said Hamil thoughtfully.
"She lives alone; and it is not very gay for a woman alone in the world;
not the happiest sort of life.... Virginia has always been very friendly
to me--always. I hope you will find her amusing."

"I'm going to her luncheon," said Cecile calmly. "It's quite too absurd
for her to feel any more doubt about us socially than we feel about her.
That is why I am going. Shall we swim?"

He rose; she clasped his offered hand and sprang to her feet, ready for
the water again. But at that instant Malcourt's dark, handsome head
appeared on the crest of a surge close by, and the next moment that
young gentleman scrambled aboard the raft, breathing heavily.

"Hello, Cecile!" he gasped; "Hello, Hamil! Shiela thought it must be
you, but I was sceptical. Whew! That isn't much of a swim; I must be out
of condition--"

"Late hours, cards, and highballs," observed Cecile scornfully. "You're
horridly smooth and fat, Louis."

Malcourt turned to Hamil.

"Glad to see you've emerged from your shell at last. The rumour is that
you're working too hard."

"There's no similar rumour concerning you," observed Cecile, who had
never made any pretence of liking Malcourt. "Please swim out to sea, if
you've nothing more interesting to tell us. I've just managed to decoy
Mr. Hamil here and I'd like to converse with him in peace."

Malcourt, arms folded, balanced himself easily on the raft's pitching
edge and glanced at her with that amiably bored expression
characteristic of him when rebuffed by a woman. On such occasions his
eyes resembled the half-closed orbs of a teased but patient cat; and
Cecile had once told him so.

"There's a pretty rumour afloat concerning your last night's performance
at the Beach Club," said the girl disdainfully. "A boy like you, making
himself conspicuous by his gambling!"

Malcourt winced, but as the girl had apparently heard nothing to his
discredit except about his gambling, he ventured an intelligent sidelong
glance at Hamil.

The latter looked at him inquiringly; Malcourt laughed.

"You haven't been to the Beach Club yet, have you, Hamil? I'll get you a
card if you like."

Cecile, furious, turned her back and went head first into the sea.

"Come on," said Hamil briefly, and followed her. Malcourt took to the
water leisurely, going out of his way to jeer at and splash Portlaw, who
was labouring like a grampus inshore;