le visitors.
Terry, the odd man, had come round and slipped in between his father
and Eileen, moving her table-napkin so that she sat between him and
Major Evelyn. He and his father were almost equally silent from
different reasons.

Eileen at first had been crumbling her bread, sending her food away
untasted or only just tasted. She was vexed about something. It was
not like Eileen to be capricious over her food.

Perhaps Lady O'Gara noticed the dissatisfaction and ascribed it to the
fact that Eileen was not having the attention she desired, so she drew
gently out of a very interesting discussion she was having with Major
Evelyn and turned to little Earnshaw, an agreeably impudent boy, with
cheeks like a Winter apple and an irresistibly jolly smile. He seemed
to have got over his first shyness with Stella and was conducting his
veiled love-making with a rather charming audacity. Lady O'Gara had
glanced a little anxiously once or twice at Terry, but there was
obviously only amusement at young Earnshaw's way in Terry's face. He
must be very sure of Stella.

"Don't mind him," he said across the table while she watched. "He's
very young and he's apt to get excited when he stays up for dinner.
Very often the Mess has to pack him off to bed."

Mary O'Gara smiled at the banter between the two boys. Now and again
she inclined an ear to the conversation of Major Evelyn and Eileen.
The big, handsome, jovial man of the world, whom his subalterns, while
evidently deeply admiring him, called "Cecil," did not find much to
interest him in Eileen, though he was too well-bred to show it.

Stella, laughing, put down her head with one of her bird-like
movements. Her hair was parted in the centre and the thick masses of
it, so much like plumage, went off in silken waves and curls and was
looped behind her little ears where it was combed up from her white
neck. She was wearing green tonight, a vivid emerald green which would
have tried a less beautiful complexion.

The movement, the close fine ripple of the hair, were like Mrs. Wade's;
there was no reason to doubt the relationship. Would others see it?
But Mrs. Wade hardly ever walked abroad. She seemed as much afraid of
her fellow-creatures as any one could wish her to be.

Lady O'Gara found herself seeking for another likeness. No; except for
that slight redness in the hair there was nothing she could discover of
Terence Comerford. She wondered vaguely whether Grace