ayer's momentary gayety left him, and he glanced at her sharply.

"And you?" he asked.

"I am always in rude health, just now the better for having you invade
my loneliness. Do you still take only one lump?" Her tone was perfectly
noncommittal.

"Only one. How does it happen that I have the good luck to find you
alone?"

"Everybody is at Mrs. Stanley's. She has captured a new lion, and has
bidden the world to come and inspect her prey."

Thayer laughed.

"What is he, this time?"

"Not he at all; it is a full-fledged Japanese princess whose husband
does lectures on some sort of theosophy before all the universities.
Your lustre is totally eclipsed by this new comet." There was a short
silence; then Beatrix added inconsequently, "We all of us have been so
delighted at your success, Mr. Thayer."

He did not take the trouble to discount the fact; but merely asked,--

"How did you know about it?"

"We have followed you in the papers. Bobby had some, and I think Sidney
must have bought tons of them. He even talked of subscribing to a
clipping bureau. He has read them aloud to us, every night; and we all
have tried to act as if it were nothing so very unusual to have one of
our friends winning laurels by the wholesale."

"They were very concrete laurels, too, Miss Dane," he returned
indifferently, though his face had lighted at her eager accent. "Some of
the wreaths must have been four feet across, and I invariably tripped
over the ribbons, when I carried them off the stage. I did wish they
would furnish a dray; garlands are horribly in the way in a carriage."

"And then what became of them?"

Thayer shrugged his shoulders.

"Ask the chambermaids along the route. I don't mean to be
unappreciative; but not even the most trusting of publics could expect
me to bear my trophies away in my arms, next morning. I came to wish I
could ship them back to the florist, to be presented to some other
baritone, the next night."

"But you enjoyed the trip?"

"After a fashion. I enjoyed the summer more, though."

"There is a certain satisfaction in dropping off the social harness now
and then, and we were comparatively primitive at Monomoy," she
assented. "The whole summer would have been worth while, just for the
sake of seeing Mr. Arlt enjoy it. Has he come back yet?"

"Yes, two days ago. The trip has meant a good deal to him, and already
he is engaged for two festivals in the spring. I am hoping that a taste
of succe