ty, the heroine would
gently come to the fore. It was like going to a party and finding the
eye glancing off from every black-coated figure to the richly-draped
presence which made the party different from a town-meeting.

He was so much under the influence of all this reflex sentiment that he
dressed himself with care before he went out, and so presented himself
at the door of Mr. Martindale's house. It did not occur to him that
Wilding lived anywhere else. He had taken it for granted that the young
man was still at his cousin's. So when the door was opened for him he
asked if Mr. Wilding were in, at the same time presenting his card. It
chanced that the maid-servant had that day entered Mr. Martindale's
service,--not a very rare chance in any household,--and, never having
heard Mr. Wilding's name, indeed, not now hearing it, but hearing
instead the name Miss Vila, cordially welcomed the distinguished-looking
visitor, and marched before him into the little parlor, where she
presented the card, on a salver which she had snatched on the way, to
Miss Vila, who was sitting with Mrs. Martindale. The two ladies were
playing backgammon.

VIII.

THE INTERRUPTED GAME.

"For me!" exclaimed Miss Vila, in a dismayed undertone. "Julia!"

Mrs. Martindale glanced at the card. She rose at once, just as Mr.
Buckingham entered the room with a little hesitation in his step. As the
two ladies held the backgammon-board in their laps, one effect of the
sudden movement was to send the men rolling in every direction about the
room. It was weeks before one of the men--a black one--was found.

Mr. Buckingham saw his card in Miss Vila's hands. He addressed himself
to her:

"Possibly your servant misunderstood me. I asked for Mr. Wilding."

"She is a new servant," said Mrs. Martindale, and then added, with
alacrity, as she seized the accident by its nearest horn, "her mistake
was probably one of the ear. She thought you asked for Miss Vila." Mrs.
Martindale had it in her to wave her hand toward the young lady, as if
showing off wax-works, and to explain, "This is Miss Vila," but Mr.
Buckingham was quick enough not to need the line upon line.

"I must beg Miss Vila's pardon. There certainly is a likeness in the
names, if you spell it with a _we_."

"I will speak to Mr. Wilding," said Mrs. Martindale, jerking an eyeful
of mysterious intelligence at Miss Vila and whisking out of the room.

"I hope you were just about to be beaten, Mis