er, to marry the Scarlet One
incontinently. Heaven knew, cried Lady Kynnersley, how many husbands
she had already--scattered along the track between Dublin and Yokohama.
There was no doubt about it. Dale was hurtling down to everlasting
bonfire. She looked to me to hold out the restraining hand.

"You have already spoken to Dale on the subject?" I asked, mindful of
the inharmonious socks and tie.

"I can talk to him of nothing else," said Lady Kynnersley desperately.

"That's a pity," said I. "You should talk to him of Heaven, or pigs, or
Babylonic cuneiform--anything but Lola Brandt. You ought to go to work
on a different system."

"But I haven't a system at all," cried the poor lady. "How was I to
foresee that my only son was going to fall in love with a circus rider?
These are contingencies in life for which one, with all the thought in
the world, can make no provision. I had arranged, as you know, that
he should marry Maisie Ellerton, as charming a girl as ever there was.
Isn't she? And an independent fortune besides."

"A rosebud wrapped in a gold leaf," I murmured.

"Now he's breaking the child's heart----"

"There was never any engagement between them, I am sure of that," I
remarked.

"There wasn't. But I gave her to understand it was a settled
affair--merely a question of Dale speaking. And, instead of speaking,
he will have nothing to do with her, and spends all his time--and,
I suppose, though I don't like to refer to it, all his money--in the
society of this unmentionable woman."

"Is she really so--so red as she is painted?" I asked.

"She isn't painted at all. That's where her artful and deceitful devilry
comes in----"

"I suppose Dale," said I, "declares her to be an angel of light and
purity?"

"An angel on horseback! Whoever heard of such a thing?"

"It's the name of a rather fiery savoury," said I.

"In a circus!" she continued.

"Well," said I, "the ring of a circus is not essentially one of the
circles in Dante's Inferno."

"Of course, my dear Simon," she said, with some impatience, "if you
defend him--"

I hastened to interrupt her. "I don't. I think he is an egregious young
idiot; but before taking action it's well to get a clear idea of the
facts. By the way, how do you know she's not painted?"

"I've seen her--seen her with my own eyes in Dale's company--at the
Savoy. He's there supping with her every night. General Lamont told
me. I wouldn't believe it--Dale flaunting abou