a house of his in town."

"'Slife! A story for a play. And what then?" cried Pink-and-White.

"Why then--enter Mr. Montagu with a 'Stay, villain!' It chanced that young
Don Quixote was walking through the streets for the cooling of his blood
mayhap, much overheated by reason of deep play. He saw, he followed, at a
fitting time he broke into the apartment of the lady. Here Sir Robert
discovered them----"

"The lady all unready, alackaday!" put in the Honourable Isabel, from
behind a fan to hide imaginary blushes.

"Well, something easy of attire to say the least," admitted Lady Di
placidly.

"I' faith then, Montagu must make a better lover than Sir Robert," cried
March.

"Every lady to her taste. And later they fought on the way to Surrey. Both
wounded, no graves needed. The girl nursed Montagu back to health, and
they fled to France together," concluded the narrator.

"And the lady--is she such a beauty?" queried Beauclerc.

"Slidikins! I don't know. She must have points. No Scotch mawkin would
draw Sir Robert's eye."

You are to imagine with what a burning face I sat listening to this
devil's brew of small talk. What their eyes said to each other of
innuendo, what their lifted brows implied, and what they whispered behind
white elegant hands, was more maddening than the open speech. For myself,
I did not value the talk of the cats at one jack straw, but for this young
girl sitting so still beside me-- By Heaven, I dared not look at her. Nor
did I know what to do, how to stop them without making the matter worse
for her, and I continued to sit in an agony grizzling on the gridiron of
their calumnies. Had they been talking lies outright it might have been
easily borne, but there was enough of truth mixed in the gossip to burn
the girl with the fires of shame.

At the touch of a hand I turned to look into a face grown white and chill,
all the joy of life struck out of it. The girl's timorous eyes implored me
to spare her more of this scene.

"Oh Kenneth, get me away from here. I will be dying of shame. Let us be
going at once," she asked in a low cry.

"There is no way out except through the crowd of them. Will you dare make
the attempt? Should I be recognized it may be worse for you."

"I am not fearing if you go with me. And at all events anything iss better
than this."

There was a chance that we might pass through unobserved, and I took it;
but I was white-hot with rage and I dare say my aggressive b