relations, so the little lady told me, and she was very hospitable, and
invited me to supper, and I should have been very glad to go if the
young lady had not told me that I must not accept her mother's
invitation."

Now, these remarks were anything but agreeable to Mrs. Aylmer, and still
less did they suit Bertha Keys. Neither lady said anything, however, at
the present moment, but each glanced at the other. After a time, Mrs.
Aylmer stretched out her hand and touched Trevor on his sleeve.

"I am sorry you have made the acquaintance of Miss Florence Aylmer," she
said.

"Sorry? Why?" he asked. "I consider her a remarkably nice girl."

"I regret to have to inform you that she is anything but a nice girl. I
will tell you about her another time. It is quite contrary to my wishes
that you should have anything to do with her: you understand?"

Trevor flushed. He had a way of looking annoyed at times, and he looked
annoyed now. His silken chains sometimes fretted him a great deal. He
often wondered whether he had done right in allowing himself to become
Mrs. Aylmer's adopted son. Bertha, however, gave him a warning glance,
and he said nothing.

Presently dinner was over, and Bertha beckoned to him to join her on the
balcony.

"Shall we go out on the sands?" she said. "I have something I want to
say to you."

"But Mrs. Aylmer has something to say to me also--something about that
particularly nice girl, Miss Florence Aylmer."

"She will not say it to you to-night; she has a headache, and I
persuaded her to go early to bed. I quite sympathise with you, too,
about Florence; she is one of my greatest friends."

Trevor gave Bertha a grateful glance.

"I am so glad you like her," he said. "I was never yet mistaken about
anyone, and I took to her frank ways. She looks like the sort of girl
who will never deceive you."

Bertha gave a peculiar smile, which vanished almost as soon as it
visited her face.

"Shall we meet, say, in twenty minutes," she said, "just by the pier? I
must see Mrs. Aylmer to bed; but I can join you then."

"Very well," he answered.

Bertha left the balcony, and Trevor, lighting a cigar, tried to soothe
his somewhat ruffled feelings. He had never liked Mrs. Aylmer less than
he did at that moment.

"It is horrid when a woman runs down a girl," he said to himself; "such
bad form, and, as to this girl, it is impossible Mrs. Aylmer can know
anything against her."

Presently he looked at his w