he wedding to-morrow. If you like to bring
Iris down to say good-bye this evening when all the people are gone I
shall like to see her."

"All right." Bruce gave up the contest. "I'm staying on--quietly--to
dinner; but I'll bring her down for half an hour afterwards."

"Very well." Chloe rose from the breakfast-table as she spoke, and
sauntered to the window, from whence she looked over the pretty
garden with appreciative eyes. "It is lucky the weather is so
beautiful--Greengates will look at its best on a day like this."

And Bruce agreed heartily as he stepped on to the lawn to enjoy his
after-breakfast pipe.

* * * * *

True to his promise Bruce motored his _fiancee_ over to Cherry Orchard
in the gloaming of the September evening, after a somewhat protracted
argument with Lady Laura, whose sense of propriety was, so she averred,
outraged by the project.

Sir Richard, however, to whom the loss of his only daughter was a deep
though hidden grief, gave his consent readily enough when he saw that
Iris really wished to bid her friend good-bye; and making Bruce promise
to bring her back in good time he himself went to the door to pack them
safely into the motor.

"Take care of her, Bruce--she is very precious to me!" He laid his hand
on the young man's arm, and his voice held an appeal which Bruce
involuntarily answered.

"Trust me, sir!" There was a note of rather unusual feeling in his tone.
"She can't be more precious to you than she is to me!"

And with the words he got his car in motion and glided away down the
dusky, scented avenue beneath the tall trees which had not, as yet, put
off their summer tints for their autumn livery of scarlet and gold.

Somehow they did not talk much as they sped on through the cool,
perfumed night. Both, indeed, felt a sense of shyness in each other's
company on this last evening; and it was with something like relief that
they realized they were at Cherry Orchard in less time than they
generally allowed for the little journey.

The hall door, as usual, stood hospitably open; but there was no sign of
Chloe, waiting for them with her gracious welcome; and as they crossed
the threshold both felt instinctively that something was wrong.

A moment later their suspicions were confirmed, for Hagyard, the
manservant, who adored both his mistress and her small daughter, came
forward to meet them with an air of relief which did not conceal the
anxiety