not another chance of feeling the
electric thrill of contact as his fingers met hers. She declared that
he ruffled the surface of the silks, and insisted upon unravelling for
herself.

At half-past four a manservant announced Teresa's arrival. She had been
shown into the drawing-room, and Cassandra rose to go to her, gathering
her work materials together on the table. Peignton's eyes were wistful
as they followed her movements; again she had the impression that he was
on the point of speaking some eager words, but again he checked himself,
and was silent.

"I will bring Teresa up to you," she said quickly. "You will enjoy a
talk with her before tea."

At five o'clock tea was carried into the Den, and the Squire and
Cassandra came in to share in the meal. They found Teresa sitting close
to the couch, in a somewhat aggressive attitude of possession. She had
less colour than usual, and her eyes looked tired, and Peignton's first
words concerned her health.

"This girl has no business to be out," he said kindly. "She is quite
hoarse and wheezy. I tell her she is a dozen times worse than I am.
I'm afraid she has taken a chill."

"Oh, Teresa, _don't_ be ill after my bulb party!" Cassandra entreated.
"Every year I have a batch of colds on my conscience, and this year
there is an ankle thrown in. I'll order the car for you later on, and
you must take half a dozen remedies to-night, to nip it in the bud."

"It's no use," Teresa said gloomily. "All the remedies in the world
won't stop my colds when they once get a start. They begin on my chest,
and work steadily up to my head, and I'm fit for nothing but a desert
island for a week or ten days. I came out to-day because I knew it
would be my last chance. I shall be worse for it, of course; but I
don't care. I had to see Dane."

"Well!" cried Peignton with an air of imparting solace, "if you are
going to drive home there is no need to hurry. Now that the Squire is
in and we are a four, what about a game of bridge?"

"Well thought of! So we will! Good idea!" cried the Squire heartily.

Teresa smiled; a thin, artificial smile.

At seven o'clock Cassandra wrapped her visitor in a warm coat, and
walked beside her down the staircase. During the pauses of the game the
wheezing of which Dane had spoken had been distinctly audible, and there
was no doubt that the girl was in the initial stage of a chest cold.
She was low-spirited too, impatient with the cont