iss Perkins came not, Maidie made inquiries
both of Dr. Frank and of her hostess. Frank showed his handsome teeth
and smiled, but Mrs. Brent showed fight. "I won't have such a creature
within my doors!" said she. "I don't believe you were ever intimate
friends, and that she nursed and cared for you in the cars when you were
suffering from shock and fright because of a fire. That's what she says
though. What was it, Maidie? Was it there Mr. Stuyvesant got that burn
on his face?--and lost his eyebrows?"

And then it transpired that Mr. Stuyvesant had been a frequent and
assiduous caller for a whole fortnight, driving thither almost every
evening.

But Maidie was oddly silent as to the episode of the fire on the train.
She laughed a little about Miss Perkins and her pretensions, but to the
disappointment of her hostess could not be drawn into talk about that
tall, handsome New Yorker.

And what seemed strange to Mrs. Brent was that now, when Maidie could
sit up a few hours each day and see certain among the officers' wives,
arriving by almost every steamer from the States, and have happy chats
with Sandy every time he could come galloping in from Paco, and was
taking delight in watching the parades and reviews on the Bagumbayan,
and listening to the evening music of the band, Stuyvesant had ceased to
call.

Had Maidie noticed it? Mrs. Brent wondered, as, coming in from her
conference with the House of Commons, she stood a moment at the door-way
gazing at the girl, whose book had fallen to the floor and whose dark
eyes, under their veiling lids were looking far out across the field to
the walls and church towers of Old Manila.

It was almost sunset. There was the usual throng of carriages along the
Luneta and a great regiment of volunteers, formed in line of platoon
columns, was drawn up on the "Campo" directly in front of the house.
Sandy had spent his allotted half hour by his sister's side, and,
remounting, had cantered out to see the parade. Miss Perkins had
declared on the occasion of her third fruitless call that not until Miss
Ray sent for her would she again submit herself to be snubbed. So there
seemed no immediate danger of her reappearance, and yet Mrs. Brent had
given Ignacio orders to open only the panel door when the gate bell
clanged, and to refuse admission, even to the drive-way, to a certain
importunate caller besides Miss Perkins.

Three days previous there had presented himself a young man in the