y through her part of the affair
with dignity, but without stiffness. This is not the place to dwell upon
the tax to her strength.

"Come on, Honora," said Hugh, "cut in." His tone was of what may be
termed a rough good nature. She had not seen him alone since his
return, but he had seemed distinctly desirous that she should enjoy the
festivities he had provided. And not to yield would have been to betray
herself.

The game, with its intervals of hilarity, was inaugurated in the
library, and by midnight it showed no signs of abating. At this hour the
original four occupied the table for the second time, and endurance has
its limits. The atmosphere of Liberty Hall that prevailed made Honora's
retirement easier.

"I'm sure you won't mind if I go to bed," she said. "I've been so used
to the routine of--of the chickens." She smiled. "And I've spent the day
in the open air."

"Certainly, my dear," said Mrs. Kame; "I know exactly how one feels in
the country. I'm sure it's dreadfully late. We'll have one more rubber,
and then stop."

"Oh, don't stop," replied Honora; "please play as long as you like."

They didn't stop--at least after one more rubber. Honora, as she lay
in the darkness, looking through the open square of her window at the
silver stars, heard their voiced and their laughter floating up at
intervals from below, and the little clock on her mantel had struck the
hour of three when the scraping of chairs announced the breaking up
of the party. And even after that an unconscionable period elapsed,
beguiled, undoubtedly, by anecdotes; spells of silence--when she thought
they had gone--ending in more laughter. Finally there was a crash of
breaking glass, a climax of uproarious mirth, and all was still...

She could not have slept much, but the birds were singing when she
finally awoke, the sunlight pouring into her window: And the hands of
her clock pointed to half-past seven when she rang her bell. It was a
relief to breakfast alone, or at least to sip her coffee in solitude.
And the dew was still on the grass as she crossed the wide lawn and
made her way around the lake to the path that entered the woods at its
farther end. She was not tired, yet she would have liked to have lain
down under the green panoply of the forest, where the wild flowers shyly
raised sweet faces to be kissed, and lose herself in the forgetfulness
of an eternal sleep; never to go back again to an Eden contaminated.
But when she ling