venture to seat himself, but looked down upon Felicity with
the mute reproach of one neglected.

"Mr. Cardington," she said gaily, "don't stand there like a
clock-tower, without striking a note, but take Mr. Littleford's place
here by me."

He did as she commanded, and having given his order, he took out a
cigarette and puffed meditatively.

"Now please don't fall into the doleful doldrums," she protested, "when
we 've had such an enlivening evening."

"A most effective alliteration," he murmured, but without spontaneity.
It was evident that the doldrums were very real with him, for he made
no effort to take part in the ensuing conversation, in spite of the
fact that the subject was one which might have aroused him to his best
endeavours.

Felicity's mood was a revelation to Leigh, though he could not fail to
divine its cause, and to guess the emotions she had undergone. Had her
pride led her to defend her husband, or had she been reserved and sad,
he would not have been surprised, but her sparkle and gaiety were like
the glancing of light on the surface of a rock. She even shared in
Mrs. Parr's ecstatic triumph over Emmet and echoed her praise of
Cobbens, but with a subtle effect of mockery, so that her friend was
presently reduced to a hurt and bewildered silence. In all this Leigh
saw the effect of her husband's humiliation upon her, that it had torn
from the mayor the last shred of the glamour with which her foolish
fancy had once surrounded him. He was moved to speculate upon her
probable attitude, had Emmet seized his opportunity and risen
adequately to the occasion, but the speculation was fruitless, and the
present topic of conversation full of hazard to himself. He was
guiltless of the vulgarity of showing an animus against Emmet,
guiltless also of the hypocrisy of defending him against his wife; and
he embraced the opportunity Mrs. Parr's discomfiture offered of turning
the talk to Bermuda.

How much of this psychological drama was visible to Cardington it would
be impossible to say, but apparently he was lost to his surroundings,
for he allowed the others to thresh out the Emmet incident without the
assistance of his own able flail. Not until the conversation turned to
Bermuda did he arouse himself from his reverie and take the lead. The
topic suggested to his mind the influence of climate upon architecture
and the arts, and presently he was exploring distant ramifications of
the theme.

"I f