re some at the end of
the table," Eloquent murmured; "I'm very shy, but I can be bold in a
good cause."

Mary looked at him in some surprise. "Would you really? Ah, it's too
late, there's mother----"

Eloquent watched her with breathless interest as she "went round the
longest way" and received new spoils from Grantly as she passed. How
curious they were about their servants these people, where Fusby seemed
to control the supplies and the children of the house secretly saved
sweets for the keeper.

The men did not sit long over their wine, and it was to the hall they
went and not to the white-panelled room that Eloquent unconsciously
resented as an anachronism; and in the hall bridge-tables were set out.

This was a complication Eloquent had not foreseen. Among his father's
friends cards were regarded as the Devil's Books, and he did not know
the ace of spades from the knave of hearts.

Would they force him to play, he wondered. Would he cover himself with
shame and ignominy? and what if he said it was against his principles
to play for money?

He braced himself to be faithful to the traditions in which he had been
trained, only to find that on his saying he never _had_ played bridge
no one expressed the smallest desire that he should do so.

In fact it seemed to him that three tables were arranged with almost
indecent haste, cryptic remarks about "cutting in" were bandied about,
and in less than five minutes he was sitting on the oak settle by the
fire with Mrs Ffolliot, who talked to him so delightfully that the
dream came back.

Here on the high-backed settle he found courage to tell her how clearly
he remembered that first time he had seen her in his father's shop; and
plainly she was touched and interested, and drew him on to speak of his
queer lonely childhood and the ultimate goal that had been kept ever
before his eyes.

He was very happy, and it seemed but a short time till somebody at one
of the tables exclaimed "game and rub," and Mary came over to the
settle saying, "Now, mother, you must take my place. I've been awfully
lucky, I've won half a crown."

She sat down beside him on the settle asking, "Would you care to watch,
or shall we just sit here and talk--which would you rather?"

What Eloquent wanted to do was to stare: to gaze and gaze at the
gracious young figure sitting there in gleaming white flecked with
splashes of rosy light from the dancing flames, but he could hardly say
thi