put his broad-palmed, long-fingered hand
on the iron bar or turned his heavy-featured face towards her little
window.

She kept telling herself that she was tired after last night, so as to
explain the ache, but her little, pale face was looking pinched in the
light from the sea when Laura Temple paused at the barrier to say a few
words. The two girls spoke to each other through the little window;
one smiling, the other rather grave and reluctant. They talked a
moment or two of trivial things--the weather, the Gala--but Caroline
felt a queer animosity towards this pleasant, kind girl whose lover had
kissed her the night before. Though she told her surface self that the
kiss was only a "bit of fun" and meant nothing, that other self knew
well enough that it had meant quite enough to constitute an injury to a
bride who was to be married in less than three weeks' time.

She replied abruptly, turning over the leaves of her account book;
irritated by this contradictory sense of being obliged to feel she had
done an injury when she knew she really had not. So at last Laura
thought she had a headache or something, and soon went on towards the
Cottage.

* * * * * *

Miss Ethel came to the door, and at once took Laura into the
living-room. Mrs. Bradford sat as usual on an arm-chair, idle with a
clear conscience, because of her great, successful effort in the past.

Laura greeted them both gaily, for she felt the world was an agreeable
place that morning. "I received your message with an almond cake from
the baker's. I do hope your news is something good, too," she said.

But Miss Ethel did not respond to the mild pleasantry. "Yes. I had to
get the baker's boy to take a message, because I am not very well
to-day, and Caroline declined to call round on her way to the
promenade."

"Said she hadn't time," added Mrs. Bradford. "She had quite sufficient
time. And considering that she came in at all hours last night after
pretending to lose the latch-key, I think she might have done what
Ethel asked. No doubt she had been wandering about with some man. She
went to the Creddles, intending to stay the night there, but Creddle
brought her back."

"Oh, I feel sure she really did lose the key," said Laura. "It is a
thing I have done myself before now. And I'm sure I never wandered
about at night with young men."

"But she pretended that she had been here earlier and was unable to
mak