is arm, and held it there so firmly that she could not have
removed it without a struggle. Feeling like a colt in a halter for the
first time, at thus being led along, yet afraid to be angry, it was to
her great relief that she saw the carriage coming round the corner to
fetch them.

Her fall upon the roof was necessarily explained to some extent upon
their entering the house; but both forbore to mention a word of what she
had been doing to cause such an accident. During the remainder of the
afternoon Elfride was invisible; but at dinner-time she appeared as
bright as ever.

In the drawing-room, after having been exclusively engaged with Mr. and
Mrs. Swancourt through the intervening hour, Knight again found himself
thrown with Elfride. She had been looking over a chess problem in one of
the illustrated periodicals.

'You like chess, Miss Swancourt?'

'Yes. It is my favourite scientific game; indeed, excludes every other.
Do you play?'

'I have played; though not lately.'

'Challenge him, Elfride,' said the vicar heartily. 'She plays very well
for a lady, Mr. Knight.'

'Shall we play?' asked Elfride tentatively.

'Oh, certainly. I shall be delighted.'

The game began. Mr. Swancourt had forgotten a similar performance with
Stephen Smith the year before. Elfride had not; but she had begun to
take for her maxim the undoubted truth that the necessity of continuing
faithful to Stephen, without suspicion, dictated a fickle behaviour
almost as imperatively as fickleness itself; a fact, however, which
would give a startling advantage to the latter quality should it ever
appear.

Knight, by one of those inexcusable oversights which will sometimes
afflict the best of players, placed his rook in the arms of one of her
pawns. It was her first advantage. She looked triumphant--even ruthless.

'By George! what was I thinking of?' said Knight quietly; and then
dismissed all concern at his accident.

'Club laws we'll have, won't we, Mr. Knight?' said Elfride suasively.

'Oh yes, certainly,' said Mr. Knight, a thought, however, just occurring
to his mind, that he had two or three times allowed her to replace a
man on her religiously assuring him that such a move was an absolute
blunder.

She immediately took up the unfortunate rook and the contest proceeded,
Elfride having now rather the better of the game. Then he won the
exchange, regained his position, and began to press her hard. Elfride
grew flurried, and placed