of exercise, and who had no precocious tendencies to
coquetry. She deigned to dance once with Mark, after which he did his
duty by trotting out a succession of calm and self-possessed little
girls, who were as unchildlike as if they had been out for a season or
two. Then he thought he might reward himself by going to look for
Mabel, whom he found in one of the lower rooms endeavouring to amuse
the smaller and non-dancing members of the company. She was standing
under the centre lamp, flushed and laughing, with two or three
children clinging to her dress, and met his amused and admiring eyes
with a little gesture of comic despair.

'We've played all the games that were ever invented,' she said; 'and
now some of them are getting rough and the rest cross, and there's
half an hour before supper, and I don't in the least know what to do
with them till then.'

'Shall I see what _I_ can do with them?' said Mark rather rashly.

'Oh, if you would it would be so kind of you. I'm afraid you don't
know what you are exposing yourself to.'

Mark, not being devoted to children, felt more than a little dubious
himself; but he wanted to be associated with her in something, and
volunteered manfully.

'Look here,' he began, as they all stood about staring at him, 'Miss
Langton's a little tired. I--I am going to play with you a little now.
What shall we have, eh? Blind man's buff?'

But they had had that, and presently one small boy, bolder than the
rest, said, 'Play at being Jumbo'--a proposal which seemed generally
popular.

'Then may I leave you here?' said Mabel. 'I must go and speak to
mother about something. Don't let them be too tiresome.'

This was by no means what Mark had bargained for; but he found himself
deserted and reduced to 'play at being Jumbo' with the best possible
grace. It was a simple but severe game, consisting in the performer of
the principal _role_--who was Mark himself on this occasion--going
down on his hands and knees and staggering about the carpet, while
everyone else who could find room climbed on his back and thumped him
on the head. At last, in self-defence, he was obliged to get rid of
them by intimating that he had gone mad, when he had to justify his
words by careering round the room trumpeting fiercely, while the
children scuttled away before him in an ecstasy of sham terror. At
first Mark was profoundly miserable, and even glad that Mabel had not
remained to witness his humiliation; but by