as altogether lovable. It takes greater tact and
staying power to make friends outside one's social grade than in it.
People suspect the motives of those who are crossing the boundaries
between caste and caste; yet the Arlts had trusted Lorimer completely.

Beatrix had remained thoughtful for some time after Thayer's departure.
Lorimer had called, that same night. His coming had been unexpected; it
had taken Beatrix off her guard. She had been unfeignedly glad to see
him, for his ten-days' absence from her life had been unprecedented in
their acquaintance. The world is wide, yet, owing to some strange law of
attraction, one invariably seems to meet the same people everywhere.
Beatrix had greeted Lorimer more eagerly than she had been aware. She
had tried in vain to keep the fact of the Forbes supper uppermost in her
mind. Instead, it slid into the background, and its place had been taken
by the thought of Lorimer's probable feelings when he received the
smoking cap from the hands of Katarina Arlt. And the evening had hurried
away from her. When it had gone, she had realized with a sudden shock
that her girlhood was ended. She was the plighted bride of Sidney
Lorimer, and, distrustful of her own mental grasp of the fact, she had
ruthlessly waked up her mother to tell her what had occurred. Later,
she had not understood the motive which had led her to her mother's
room. As a rule, she was self-reliant, and adjusted herself to a crisis
without caring to talk it over. For the once, however, she felt the need
of being strengthened by the enthusiastic delight of Mrs. Dane whose
sentimental hopes had centered in Lorimer from the hour of his
introduction to her only child.

All this had passed in review through Beatrix's mind, and it seemed long
to her since Lorimer's last words, when he said,--

"Don't think I am depreciating Thayer, Beatrix. He is one of the finest
fellows who ever came out of the Creator's hands. In his worst moods, he
is away ahead of most of the men one meets. Some day, I hope you may
know him for what he really is."

There was true generosity underlying Lorimer's frank words. He was still
smarting from his contact with Thayer, that afternoon, for Thayer had
heard of a dinner at the club, on the previous night, and had spoken a
quiet warning. It was only such a warning as he had given, a dozen times
before; he knew just how Lorimer would resent it, then accept it, and it
would have made no difference to