ing her portrait. Haddington and Bob had
vanished with cigars; and Eugene looking round and seeing that all was
peace, said to himself in an access of dutifulness. "Now for it!" and
crossed over to where Kate sat, and invited her to accompany him into
the garden.

Kate acquiesced, but showed little other sign of relaxing her attitude
of lofty displeasure. She left Eugene to begin.

"I'm awfully sorry, Kate, if you were vexed this morning."

Absolute silence.

"But, you see, as host here, I couldn't very well turn out Lady
Claudia."

"Why don't you say Claudia?" asked Kate, in sarcastic tones.

Eugene felt inclined to fly, but he recognized that his only chance lay
in pretending innocence when he had it not.

"Are we to quarrel about a trifle of that sort?" he asked; "a girl I've
known like a sister for the last ten years!"

Kate smiled bitterly.

"Do you really suppose that deceives me? Of course I am not afraid of
your falling in love with Claudia; but it's very bad taste to have
anything at all like flirtation with her."

"Quite right; it is. It shall not occur again. Isn't that enough?"

Kate, in spite of her confidence, was not anxious to drive Eugene with
too tight a rein, so, with a nearer approach to graciousness she allowed
it to appear that it was enough.

"Then come along," he said, passing his arm around her waist, and
running her briskly along the terrace to a seat at the end, where he
deposited her.

"Really, Eugene, one would think you were a schoolboy. Suppose any one
had seen us!"

"Some one did," said Eugene composedly, lighting his cigar.

"Who?"

"Haddington. He was sitting on the step of the sun-dial, smoking."

"_How_ annoying! What's he doing there?"

"If you ask me, I expect he's waiting on the chance of Lady Claudia
coming out."

"I should think it very unlikely," said Kate, with an impatient tap of
her foot; "and I wish you wouldn't do such things."

Eugene smiled; and having thus, as he conceived, partly avenged himself,
devoted the next ten minutes to orthodox love-making, with the warmth of
which Kate had no reason to be discontent. On the expiration of that
time he pleaded his obligations as a host, and they returned to the
house, Kate much mollified, Eugene with the peaceful but fatigued air
that tells of duty done.

Before going to bed, Stafford and Eugene managed to get a few words
together. Leaving the other men, except the Bishop, who was already at
rest, in