re
said, "You must have enjoyed yourself immensely with Miss Alden to
have been out so long," he replied, "I did. I hope you passed your
time as agreeably."

She saw that her relations with Arnault gave him an advantage and a
freedom which he proposed to use--that she had no ground on which to
find fault--and that he was too proud to permit censure for a course
less open to criticism than her own.

Before she slept she thought long and deeply, at last concluding that
perhaps affairs were taking the right turn for her purpose. Graydon
was tolerating as a disagreeable necessity what he regarded as her
filial diplomacy with Arnault. He was loyally and quietly waiting
until this necessity should cease, and was so doing because he
supposed it to be her wish. If she could keep him in just this
attitude it would leave her less embarrassed, give her more time, than
if he were an ardent and jealous suitor. She was scarcely capable of
love, but she admired him more than ever each day. She saw that he was
the superior of Arnault in every way, and was so recognized by all in
the house; therefore one of her strongest traits--vanity--was enlisted
in his behalf. She saw, also, that he represented a higher type of
manhood than she had been accustomed to, and she was beginning to
stand in awe of him also, but for reasons differing widely from those
which caused her fear of Arnault. She dreaded the latter's pride, the
resolute selfishness of his scheme of life, which would lead him to
drop her should she interfere with it. She was learning to dread
even more Graydon's high-toned sense of honor, the final decisions he
reached from motives which had slight influence with her. What if she
should permit both men to slip from her grasp, while she hesitated?
She fairly turned cold with horror at the thought of this and of the
poverty which might result.

Thus, from widely differing motives, two girls were sighing for time;
and Graydon Muir, strong, confident, proud of his knowledge of society
and ability to take care of himself, was walking blindly on, the
victim of one woman's guile, the object of another woman's pure,
unselfish love, and liable at any hour to be blasted for life by the
fulfilment of his hope and the consummation of his happiness.

Sweet Madge Alden, hiding your infinite treasure, deceiving all and
yet so true, may you have time!

CHAPTER XXI

SUGGESTIVE TONES

Miss Wildmere had promised to drive with Graydo