a
fold so that a long trail of silver flowers caught the light and
gleamed like frost. No misgivings and no suspicions she had, and
none, by that time, had Mary, believing as she did that her sister
had bought all that bravery for her, and that it was hers by right,
and only troubled by the necessity of secrecy with her grandmother
lest she discover for what purpose her own money had been spent. But
Catherine eyed her with such exceedingly worshipful love,
admiration, and yet distress that even I pitied her. Catherine
herself that night did no discredit to her beauty, her dress being,
though it was an old one, as rich as Mary's, of her favourite green
with a rose pattern broidered on the front of it, and a twist of
green gauze in her fair hair, and that same necklace of green stones
which she had shown me in the morning around her long throat, and
her long, milky-white arms hanging at her sides in the green folds
of her gown, and that pale radiance of perfection in her every
feature that made many call her the pearl of Virginia, though, as I
have said before, she had no lovers. She and Mary were going to the
ball, and a company of black servants with them. As for me, balls
were out of the question for a convict tutor, and I knew it, and so
did they. But suddenly, to my great amazement, Madam Cavendish
turned to me: "And wherefore are you not dressed for the ball,
Master Wingfield?" she said.

I stared at her, as did also Catherine and Mary, almost as if they
suspected she had gone demented. "Madam," I stammered, scarce
thinking I had understood her rightly.

"Why are you not dressed for the ball?" she repeated.

"Madam," I said, "pardon me, but you are well acquainted with the
fact that I am not a welcome guest at the governor's ball."

"And wherefore?" cried she imperiously.

"Wherefore, madam?"

Mary and Catherine both looked palely at their grandmother, not
knowing what had come to her.

"Madam," I said, "do you forget?"

"I forget not that you are the eldest son and heir of one of the
best families in England, and as good a gentleman as the best of
them," she cried out. "That I do not forget, and I would have you go
to the ball with my granddaughters. Put on thy plum-coloured velvet
suit, Harry, and order thy horse saddled."

For the first time I seemed to understand that Madam Judith
Cavendish had, in spite of her wonderful powers of body and mind,
somewhat of the childishness of age, for as she looked