ventional opinions. "The greatest sin I know of is to
be dull, and you can't be dull."

"No?" said Paul. "I think I'm a fairly good actor."

"No, you have a good deal of the devil in you, and I like a man of your
sort. Do you know I saw a criticism of a book the other day of which
you remind me?"

"And of course you've read the book?"

"Oh no! The critique said that the only bad book was the book which
was badly written, no matter what its morals might be, and this book,
although excellently intentioned, was not well written. You know I
have a similar feeling about men. The greatest crime in the calendar
is to be dull. Men may break all the other commandments if they like,
but he who breaks that is impossible. And I find you so interesting!"

"And I feel myself so dull," said Paul. "I don't follow your simile a
bit."

"Ah, but you're not conventional. The great charm of a man is that
he's always going off the beaten tracks. When he gets back to those he
is impossible! Do you know, I hoped you would come in your
working-clothes. Our hostess told me you were coming, and I quite
looked forward to seeing you."

"My working-clothes are very shabby," said Paul. "Still, if I had
thought you wanted to see them, I would have brought them."

The lady laughed good-humouredly. "Oh, but do remain unconventional!"
she said. "Don't become a polished Society man. If you are to be
interesting, always keep off the beaten tracks."

"Even at the expense of politeness?" said Paul.

The lady looked at him quizzically. "Yes, even at the expense of
politeness."

"Then I'll run away. There's someone over here I want to speak to," he
said.

The truth was, at that moment he had caught sight of a face which had
set his heart beating wildly, for he felt sure it was that of Mary
Bolitho. "Oh, I wonder, after all, whether it can be!" he said to
himself.

Regardless of passing faces, he found his way toward the spot where he
thought he had seen her, and to his delight he discovered that he had
not made a mistake. Their eyes met as he came up, and she held out her
hand with a smile.

"This is splendid!" he said. "It's so pleasant to see a face that one
knows amid a crowd of strangers!"

"But surely you must know hosts of people here," was her response.

"No, I know very few," replied Paul. "Some of the men I have met in
the Members' Lobby, but nearly everyone is a stranger to me."

"And yet I find that many