n turned upon him.

"It's much the fairest way. If we didn't wear them, the pretty girls
would get all the best dances."

"Oh, well, you wouldn't be left out, anyway," he assured her.

At which compliment Gwen sniffed contemptuously, and pointedly requested
Carey to give her a few minutes in strict privacy before they parted for
the night.

He saw that she meant it; and when Charlie had reluctantly taken himself
off he went with his young cousin to her own little sitting-room
upstairs before seeking Lady Emberdale in the drawing-room.

Gwen could scarcely wait till the door was closed before she began to
lay her troubles before him.

"It's Mummy!" she told him very seriously. "You can't think how sick and
disgusted I am. Sit down, Reggie, and I'll tell you all about it! Being
Mummy's trustee, perhaps you will have some influence over her. I have
none. She thinks I'm prejudiced. And I'm not, Reggie. There's nothing to
make me so except that Charlie is a nice boy, and the Admiral a perfect
darling."

She paused for breath, and Carey patiently waited for further
enlightenment. It came.

"Of course," she said, seating herself on the arm of his chair, "I've
always known that Mummy would marry again some day or other. She's so
young and pretty; and I haven't minded the idea a bit. Poor, dear Dad
was always such a very, very old man! But I do want her to marry
someone nice now the time has come. All through the summer holidays I
felt sure it was going to be the Admiral, and I was so pleased about it.
Charlie and I used to make bets about its coming off before Christmas.
He was ever so pleased, too, and we'd settled to join together for the
wedding present so as to get something decent. It was all going to be so
jolly. And now," with a great sigh, "everything's spoilt.
There's--there's someone else."

"Good heavens!" said Carey. "Who?"

He had been suppressing a laugh during the greater part of Gwen's
confidence, but this last announcement startled him into sobriety. A
very faint misgiving stirred in his soul. What if--but no; it was
preposterous. He thrust it from him.

Gwen slid a loving arm about his neck.

"I like telling you things, Reggie. You always understand, and they
never worry me so much afterwards. For I am--horribly worried. Mummy met
him in the hunting field. He has come to live quite near us--oh, such a
brute he is, loud and coarse and bullying! He rode a horse to death only
a few weeks ago. They