untains.

Donald felt the psychological change, and sensed the reason for it; but
although, in a clumsy manner, he did his best to restore the atmosphere
of comradeship, he knew that he was failing. Marion also tried, and
tried sincerely, to bring Rose into the conversation; but the girl had
become embarrassed and silent, and to her own surprise the society woman
vaguely realized that she, too, was embarrassed and not at her best. She
tried to shake off the feeling with the thought that it was absurd that
one who had been at ease in the presence of royalty should feel so in
that of a simple mountain girl; but she could not wholly banish the
feeling or the impression that the girl's deep, unusual eyes were
looking down beneath the surface, which she knew was perfectly
appointed--had she not, for no reason at all she told herself, taken
special pains in dressing?--and that, although there was something of
awed admiration in her frank gaze, it also held a suggestion of
something which was not entirely approval. Donald felt it, too, and it
irritated him; so much so that he was frankly glad when his fiancee
announced that she must depart to attend a social engagement. Perhaps it
was because he was ashamed of such a feeling that he kissed her with
unusual warmth, as he handed her into the waiting motor car, and he
found himself flushing deeply, without reason, when he returned to the
drawing room and saw Rose standing by one of the windows, looking out at
the departing limousine with its two liveried attendants.

"She is very beautiful," the girl whispered to him, as he joined her.

There was another guest that afternoon, who came in, unexpectedly--a
young man, in appearance Donald's antithesis, for, although he was of
more than medium height, he was slender and almost as graceful as a
woman. Wavy light hair crowned a merry, boyish face which, with its
remarkably blue eyes, was almost too good looking for a man, although
saved from a hint of weakness by a firm, well-rounded chin.

"Called at your office and learned that you were loafing on the job
again, and that I might find you up here, visiting a baby--for a
change," he ran on, as he entered after the manner of one who feels
himself perfectly at home. Then he caught sight of Rose, blushed like a
girl himself and stammered, "Oh, I beg pardon. I didn't know that I was
..."

"You're not," laughed Donald, seizing the newcomer's hand with a
vicelike grasp. "Come in. I've t