claimed by her partner, Mr. Wyckliffe. Reg felt vaguely disturbed, how
or why he scarcely knew; but he remembered Amy had once told him she
never sat out a dance except with an old friend. He wandered away
aimlessly, and when the next dance had begun and still Amy did not
appear, he decided to look for her. Pausing at the refreshment buffet he
was in the act of raising a glass to his lips when his eye caught sight
of a portion of a dress he knew too well, partly hidden by some drapery
hanging over a corner of the gallery. In the twinkling of an eye he ran
up the stairs. Amy saw him coming, and drawing the drapery on one side,
smiled at him. It was enough to dispel all his troublesome thoughts, and
he came up to her and laughingly said:

"Ah, here you are, you truant. It is too bad to disappoint your partners
in this way."

"Reg, this is Mr. Wyckliffe," said she, referring to her partner.

"I am very glad to meet you, Mr. Morris," said that gentleman, rising
with a smile and extending his hand.

"Thanks. I am delighted to make your acquaintance," answered Reg,
shaking warmly in his genuine way the hand extended to him.

"Miss Johnson has been good enough to make a confidant of me," continued
Wyck, lightly. "She has told me of your engagement and I hope you will
let me congratulate you. You are a lucky man."

"I am, indeed," answered Reg, as politely as he could, though he felt
strongly inclined to resent the familiarity from a man who had only met
him and his _fiancee_ for the first time that evening.

"Miss Johnson mentioned that she was engaged for this dance with you,
but as I have the next she agreed to sit them both out with me."

Reg began to grow uncomfortable, and turned to Amy, and said, "It's very
cold here, Amy, I think you ought to go back, as Mrs. Whyte is looking
for you."

"Oh! you won't desert me, will you, Miss Johnson?" said Wyck, gazing at
her in an intense way, and exerting his will-power to the utmost.

"I'd rather stay, Reg," she answered, but the decision seemed to come
from her reluctantly.

"I'll take care of her, Morris, never fear," said Wyck, smiling.

Reg looked from one to the other. He felt helpless, and in a predicament
from which only a scene, which he abhorred, would extricate him. It was
galling in the extreme to find a total stranger dictating to the girl he
was engaged to.

"Then you won't come?" he asked.

"Not yet, Reg," she replied, in a languid manner, and he tur