ith appearance of bestowing rather than
of receiving a favour. As to the young ladies, Adrien rarely allowed
herself the delight of a motor ride in Rupert Stillwell's luxurious car.
On the other hand, had her mother not intervened, Patricia would have
indulged without scruple her passion for joy-riding. The car she adored,
Rupert Stillwell she regarded simply as a means to the indulgence of her
adoration. He was a jolly companion, a cleverly humourous talker, and an
unfailing purveyor of bon-bons. Hence he was to Patricia an ever welcome
guest at the Rectory, and the warmth of Patricia's welcome went a long
way to establish his position of intimacy in the family.

It was not to be supposed, however, that that young lady's gracious
and indeed eager acceptance of the manifold courtesies of the young
gentleman in question burdened her in the very slightest with any sense
of obligation to anything but the most cavalier treatment of him, should
occasion demand. She was unhesitatingly frank and ready with criticism
and challenge of his opinions, indeed he appeared to possess a fatal
facility for championing her special aversions and antagonising her
enthusiasms. Of the latter her most avowed example was Captain Jack, as
she loved to call him. A word of criticism of Captain Jack, her hero,
her knight, sans peur et sans reproche and her loyal soul was aflame
with passionate resentment.

It so fell on an occasion when young Stillwell was a dinner guest at the
Rectory.

"Do you know, Patricia," and Rupert Stillwell looked across the dinner
table teasingly into Patricia's face, "your Captain Jack was rather
mixed up in a nice little row to-day?"

"I heard all about it, Rupert, and Captain Jack did just what I would
have expected him to do." Patricia's unsmiling eyes looked steadily into
the young man's smiling face.

"Rescued a charming young damsel, eh? By the way, that Perrotte girl has
turned out uncommonly good looking," continued Rupert, addressing the
elder sister.

"Rescuing a poor little ill-treated boy from the hands of a brutal
bully and the bully's brutal father--" Patricia's voice was coolly
belligerent.

"My dear Patricia!" The mother's voice was deprecatingly pacific.

"It is simply true, Mother, and Rupert knows it quite well too, or--"

"Patricia!" Her father's quiet voice arrested his daughter's flow of
speech.

"But, Father, everyone--"

"Patricia!" The voice was just as quiet but with a slightly in