ad just the same steady, serious,
kind face as ever; she'd hardly changed a bit, and seemed pleased, just
like a child at the play, with all that was going on round about.

There was hardly anybody near the corner where they were, so I got up
and went over. They both looked at me for a minute as if they'd never
seen me before, and then Aileen turned as pale as death, and Gracey got
altogether as red, and both held out their hands. I sat down by the side
of Aileen, and we all began to talk. Not much at first, and very quiet,
for fear notice might be taken, but I managed to let them know that the
police had all been called off in another direction, and that we should
be most likely safe till to-morrow or next day.

'Oh dear!' says Gracey, 'wasn't it awfully rash of you to come here and
run all this risk just to come to Bella Barnes's wedding? I believe I
ought to be jealous of that girl.'

'All Starlight's fault,' I said; 'but anyhow, it's through him we've had
this meeting here. I was dead against coming all the time, and I never
expected things to turn out so lucky as they have done.'

'Will he be here to-night?' Aileen says, very soft and timid like. 'I
almost wished I'd stayed away, but Gracey here would come. Young Cyrus
Williams brought us. He wanted to show his wife the races, and take her
to the ball. There they are, dancing together. George is away at the
races.'

'You will see Starlight about ten or eleven o'clock, I expect,' I said.
'He's dining with the Commissioner and the camp officers. They'll all
come together, most likely.'

'Dining at the camp!' says Aileen, looking regularly perished. 'You
don't mean to say they've taken him?'

'I mean what I say. He's here with the Mr. Dawsons, of Wideview, and has
been hand-and-glove with all the swells. I hardly think you'll know him.
It's as much as I did.'

Poor Aileen gave another sigh.

'Do you think he'll know me?' she says. 'Oh! what a foolish girl I was
to think for a moment that he could care about a girl like me. Oh! I
wish I had never come.'

'Nonsense,' says Gracey, who looked a deal brighter on it. 'Why, if he's
the man you say he is, this will only bring him out a bit. What do you
think, Di--I mean Mr. Jones?'

'That's right, Miss Storefield,' says I. 'Keep to the company manners
to-night. We don't know who may be listening; but I'm not much afraid of
being bowled out this particular night. Somehow I feel ready to chance
everything for an h