tude and filled with the
thousand scents of dewy earth. Before him stretched the wide road, a
silver causeway fretted with shadows, a silent road where nothing moved
save himself.

Thus, joying in the beauty of the night, Major d'Arcy walked slowly and
took a roundabout course, and a distant clock chimed the hour of one as
he found himself traversing a small copse that abutted on his own
property.

In this place of light and shadow a nightingale poured forth his liquid
notes rilling the leafy mysteries with ecstatic song; here the Major
paused and setting his back to a tree, stood awhile to hearken, lost in
a profound reverie.

And into this little wood came two who walked very close together and
spoke in rapt murmurs; near they came and nearer until the Major
started and looking up beheld a woman who wore a blue cloak and whose
face, hidden beneath her hood, was turned up to the eager face of him
who went beside her. The Major, scowling and disgusted thus to have
stumbled upon a vulgar amour and fearing to be seen, waited impatiently
for them to be gone. But they stopped within a few yards of him, half
screened from view behind a tangle of bushes. Hot with his disgust,
the Major turned to steal away, heard a cry of passionate protest, and
glancing back, saw the woman caught in sudden fierce arms, viciously
purposeful, and drawn swiftly out of sight.

"Mr. Dalroyd," said my lady gently, lying passive in his embrace, "pray
turn your head." Wondering, he obeyed and stared into the muzzle of a
small pocket pistol. "Dear Mr. Dalroyd--must I kill you?" she smiled;
and he, beholding the indomitable purpose in that lovely, smiling face,
gnashed white teeth and loosing her, stood back as the Major appeared.

For a tense moment no one moved, then with an inarticulate sound Mr.
Dalroyd took a swift backward step, his hand grasping the hilt of his
small-sword; but the Major had drawn as quick as he and the air seemed
full of the blue flash and glitter of eager steel. Then, even as the
swift blades rang together, my lady had slipped off her cloak and next
moment the murderous points were entangled, caught, and held in the
heavy folds.

"Shame sirs, O shame!" she cried. "Will you do murder in my very
sight? Loose--loose your hold, both of you--loose, I say!" Here my
lady, shaking the entangled blades in passionate hands, stamped her
foot in fury. The Major, relinquishing his weapon, stepped back and
bowed like the