new-comer, in great excitement, 'I must tell you
all about it. There has been such fun. Never such a gale known on the
south coast----'

'Child!' said the now thoroughly awakened sister, 'go at once and take
off your things. You will be wet through!'

'Oh, this is nothing,' said Madge, whose pink cheeks showed what she
had faced. 'I left a whole avalanche in the hall. The streets are a
foot deep already. Not a cab to be got. We had to fight our way from
the theatre arm in arm; the wind and snow were like to lift us off our
feet altogether. Frank said it reminded him of Canada. All the
gentlemen are below; Tom would have them come in to get them some
mulled claret.'

Madge's ejaculatory sentences came to an end simply for want of breath.
She was all panting.

'Such a laughing there was! Frank and I ran full tilt against a
gentleman who was coming full sail before the wind. "Hard-a-port!"
Frank cried. There was an awful smash. My hat blew off; and we hid in
a doorway till Frank got it back again.'

At Nan's earnest entreaties, her younger sister at last consented to
take off her outer garments and robe herself in some of Nan's--meantime
shaking a good deal of snow on to the carpet. Then she came and sat
down.

'I must tell you all about it, dear Nan,' she said, 'for I am so happy;
and it has been such a delightful evening. You can't imagine what a
splendid companion Frank is--taking everything free and easy, and
always in such a good humour. Well, we went to the theatre; and of
course Edith wanted to show herself off, so I had the corner of the box
with the curtains, and Frank sat next me, of course--it was
"Cinderella"--beautiful!--I never saw such brilliant costumes; and even
Edith was delighted with the way they sang the music. Mind, we didn't
know that by this time the storm had begun. It was all like fairyland.
But am I tiring you, Nan?' said Madge with a sudden compunction.
'Would you rather go to sleep again?'

'Oh no, dear.'

'Is your headache any better?'

'A great deal.'

'Shall I get you some eau-de-cologne?'

'Oh no.'

'Does it sound strange to you that I should call him Frank? It did to
me at first. But of course it had to be done; so I had to get over it.'

'You don't seem to have had much difficulty,' said Nan, with an odd
kind of smile.

'Well,' Madge confessed, 'he isn't like other men. There's no pretence
about him. He makes friends with you at once. And you can