the reappearance of the girl on horseback. She had not seen him
at the gate, yet somehow his arrogance rebelled at the fact that she
had passed him by.

Jake stood with The Hundredth Chance nuzzling against him. He did not
trouble himself to make conversation; that was not his way. He also
waited for the reappearance of the riders.

They came, riding side by side and jesting with careless _camaraderie_.
Toby's face was delicately flushed. The fair head had no covering. She
was dressed and looked exactly like a boy.

At sight of Saltash standing by the gate her whole attitude changed. She
uttered a queer sound, half-whoop, half-sob, and flung herself out of the
saddle. In a moment she had reached him, was hanging to his arm in mute
greeting, everything else in the world forgotten. It was pathetically
like the re-union of a lost dog to its master.

Saltash's ugly face softened miraculously at her action. The jest died on
his lips. "Why, Nonette!" he said. "Nonette!"

She strangled another sob. Her face was burning, quivering, appealing, no
longer the face of a boy. "I thought you'd forgotten to come," she said.

"What? Was I expected to lunch?" said Saltash. "Ah! Was that why you
wouldn't go to church?"

Toby looked up, desperately smiling. "It may have been--partly. But I
never do go. Do you?"

"Not often," said Saltash. "I might if I stayed here. There's no knowing.
You'll be pleased to hear your daddy is better. He's coming down to the
Castle to convalesce. And when he's done that, I'm going to have a
party--a coming-out party--for you."

"For me!" Toby gasped, staring at him with scared blue eyes. "I hope you
won't, sir," she said.

He laughed back at her, his brows working mischievously. "_Mais pourquoi
pas, mignonne?_ You are old enough. Maud will come and be hostess, won't
you, Maud? You shall have Jake too for a watch-dog, if you want him.
After that, you shall be presented at Court, when you've learnt to
curtsey prettily instead of turning somersaults. You must let your hair
grow, Nonette, and leave off wearing breeks. You've got to be a credit to
me."

"Oh, damn!" said Toby in dismay. "I mean--oh, bother!"

"Yes, it's a good thing you mean only that, isn't it?" laughed Saltash.
"If you go on wearing those masculine things much longer, you'll have
Jake punching your head for little slips of that kind. He's getting
mighty particular, I'm told."

"Not afraid of Jake!" said Toby, casting a swift look