"Two weeks out of every year...." said Sophy musingly. "It is a good
deal of time to spare a mother...."

Her eyes were dancing. She could not help it. He looked such a picture
of injured innocence.

Loring was utterly unabashed.

"It's really rather a shame of you, Sophy, to say I'm selfish to my
mother. You'd better not let _her_ hear you say it-- I'll give you
_that_ tip!"

"Don't worry. She'll never, never hear me say it. She'd be just as
astounded and outraged as you are, I'm sure--even more so."

Loring had to let it go at that. He contented himself with growling
sulkily:

"What all this has got to do with that little half-tamed leopardess
being quartered on us at Newport, I'm blessed if _I_ can see...."

"Only that it would please your mother immensely and take a great load
off her mind."

"Suppose you don't like the girl when you see her? She's as wild as a
hawk--or was two years ago."

"A leopardess and a hawk--that sounds interesting. I don't mind anything
but bad-temper."

"Oh, she's good-tempered enough when she's not riled. But a girl like
Belinda's a devilish responsibility. I don't take kindly to the notion,
I'm free to confess."

"Don't _you_ like her?"

"Ye-es," he admitted grudgingly. "It's only that she's such a handful."

"Well--we can but try it," said Sophy thoughtfully. She gave him one of
her warm, friendly smiles. "There's really nothing else for us to do,
Morris," she said. "Mrs. Horton can always be sent for if we can't
manage her. But perhaps she'll like me. Perhaps she won't be wilful and
wrong-headed at all. You see, eighteen is very different from sixteen."

Morris made a remark that was psychologically profounder than he knew.

"The Belinda sort never get 'different'; they only get more so...." he
said. "But I see your mind's made up.... Go ahead.... I only hope we
shan't both regret it."

XXIV

Belinda and her mother arrived at Nahant late in the afternoon of next
day. Sophy had tea waiting for them. When she had greeted Mrs. Horton,
and that lady moved aside to make way for her step-daughter, Sophy
flinched a little just as one does when sunlight is flashed suddenly in
one's eyes from a mirror. There was really a glare of beauty from
Belinda. Her skin and eyes seemed to give out light rather than to
reflect it.

She was dressed in silky, red-brown linen. Under the wide, turnover
collar of her white blouse was a loosely-knotted tie of purple. A purple
toq