s often pleased with himself, rarely more so than
to-night, with the memory of Lucia Catherwood's glorious brow and eyes
and the obvious favour that she showed him. He was a fit mate for her,
and she must see it. Wisdom and love should go together. Truly, all
things were moving well with him, he repeated in his thought. Prescott
was following the very course he would have chosen for him, kneeling at
Mrs. Markham's feet as if she were a new Calypso. The man whom he knew
to be his rival was about to embroil himself with everybody.

If he wanted more evidence of his last inference, Harley of the inflamed
face and threatening brow was quick to furnish it. When Prescott came in
Harley took another long draught and said to the crowd:

"I have a pretty bit of gossip for you, gentlemen."

"What is it?" asked Randolph, and all looked up, eager to hear any fresh
and interesting news.

"It's the story of the spy who was here last winter," replied Harley.
"The romance, rather, because that spy, as all of you know, was a woman.
The story will not down. It keeps coming up, although we have a great
war all about us, and I hear that the Government, so long on a blind
trial, has at last struck the right one."

"Indeed," said Randolph, with increased interest. "What is it? The
answer to that puzzle has always bothered me."

"They say that the spy was a woman of great beauty, and she found it
impossible to escape from Richmond until an officer of ours, yielding to
her claims, helped her through the lines. I'll wager that he took full
pay for his trouble."

"His honour against hers," said some one.

Harley laughed coarsely.

Prescott became deathly white. He would have fought a duel then with
Harley--on the instant. All the Puritan training given him by his mother
and his own civilized instincts were swept away by a sudden overwhelming
rush of passion.

His colour came back and none noticed its momentary loss, all eyes being
on Harley. Prescott glanced at Mr. Sefton, but the Secretary remained
calm, composed and smiling, listening to Harley with the same air of
interested curiosity shown by the others. Prescott saw it all with a
flash of intuition; the Secretary had given Harley a hint, just a vague
generalization, within the confines of truth, but without any
names--enough to make those concerned uneasy, but not enough to put the
power in any hands save those of the Secretary. Harley himself confirmed
this by continuing the su