e Madam Giron to take him in for a while?"

"To take _him_ in?"

"Them-m-m," said Garda, "since you insist upon it."

"I can't imagine Madame Giron consenting," said Margaret. She was much
surprised by this intelligence.

"She wouldn't unless it were to please Adolfo; if he should urge her to
do it. And I think he will urge her, because--because he and Mrs.
Spenser are such great friends."

"They're nothing of the sort. You know as well as I do that she only
talks to him because her husband likes him."

"Well, then, Adolfo will urge because I told him to."

"You told him?"

"Yes," said Garda, serenely; "I told him we could make so many more
excursions if they were staying down here. And so we can, I hope--Lucian
and I, at any rate; _we're_ light on our feet."

"If Madam Giron should consent, when would the Spensers come down?" said
Margaret, pursuing her investigations.

"To-morrow at twelve," Garda answered, promptly.

"Mrs. Spenser knew nothing of it yesterday."

"Oh yes, she did; a little."

"She didn't speak of it."

"She didn't speak of it because she's not pleased with the idea. At
least not much."

"Then it's Mr. Spenser who is pleased?"

"Yes; still, I am the most pleased of all; I suggested it to him, he
would never have thought of it himself. You see, he was losing so much
time in coming and going. If he were at Madam Giron's, too, I could hope
to see him sometimes in the evening; for instance, to-morrow evening."

"Do you mean that he is coming to see us then?"

"He is coming to see me; that is, if they are down there. I shall not
let him see any of the rest of you. It isn't a sitting, you know, we
don't have sittings by moonlight; I shall send him word where to come,
and then I shall slip out and find him."

Margaret stopped. "Garda," she said, in a changed tone, "you told me
yesterday that I had been very kind to you--"

"So you have been."

"Then I hope you won't think me unkind--I hope you will yield to my
judgment--when I tell you that you must not send any such message to Mr.
Spenser."

"Didn't I tell you you would try to stop it?" said Garda, gleefully.

"Of course I shall try. And I think you will do as I wish."

Garda did not answer, she only looked at her friend with a vague little
smile. She seemed not to be giving her full attention to what she was
saying; and at the same moment, singularly enough, she seemed to be
admiring her, taking that time for it--admiring the