said you hated the man and his work."

She began to smile. "Well, I do--in certain moods. But I've got to read
him all the same. Everyone does."

"Surely you don't follow the crowd!" he said.

She laughed--her sweet, low laugh. "Surely I do! I'm one of them."

He made a sharp gesture. "That's just what you are not. I say, Miss
Moore, don't read this book! It won't do you any good, and it'll make
you very angry. You'll call it cynical, insincere, cold-blooded. It will
hurt your feelings horribly."

"I don't think so," said Juliet. "You forget,--I am no longer--a
marionette. I have come to life."

Again she held out her hand for the book. He gave it to her reluctantly.

"Don't read it!" he said.

She shook her head, still smiling. "No, Mr. Green, I'm not going to
let you censor my reading. I will tell you what I think of it next
time we meet."

"Don't!" he said again very earnestly.

But Juliet would not yield. She stooped again over Columbus and
fondled his ear.

Green stood looking down at her, his dark face somewhat grim, his eyes
extremely bright.

"I believe he's cross with us, Christopher," murmured Juliet. "Never
mind, old thing! We shall get over it if he doesn't. Being cross always
hurts oneself the most. We're--never cross, are we, Christopher? We
please ourselves and we please each other--always."

Columbus grunted appreciatively and leaned harder against her. He liked
to be included in the conversation.

Green suddenly bent and pulled the other ear. "You're a jolly lucky chap,
Columbus," he said. "I'll change places with you any day in the week."

Columbus smiled at him indulgently, and edged his nose onto his
mistress's knee. He knew his position was secure.

"Don't you listen to him, Christopher!" said Juliet. "He wouldn't be in
your place two minutes. If I dared to thwart him in anything, he'd turn
and rend me."

"He wouldn't," said Green decidedly. "Anyone else--perhaps, but his
mistress--never."

Columbus yawned. The topic did not interest him. But Juliet laughed
again, and for a moment her eyes glanced upwards, meeting the man's look.

"Is that a promise?" she asked lightly.

"My word of honour," he said.

"How generous!" said Juliet. "And how rash!"

Mrs. Fielding looked round from the window and spoke fretfully. "The
storm seems to have made it more oppressive than ever," she complained.
"I believe it is coming up again."

"I hope not," said Green.

Juliet got up quietly