rted."

She nodded and smiled to her hostess, and Mrs. Bell felt a frantic
desire to send Matty with her brother, but some slight sense of decorum
prevented her making so bare-faced a suggestion.

Albert Bell was very proud to walk with Beatrice, and Captain Bertram
felt proportionately sulky. To Albert's delight, who wanted to confide
his own love affairs to Bee, the captain said good-night at the top of
the High Street.

"As you have an escort I won't come any further," he said. "When are we
to see you again? Will you come to the Manor to-morrow?"

"I don't know," said Beatrice, "I've made no plans for to-morrow."

"Then come to us; Catherine told me to ask you. Our tennis court is in
prime order. Do come; will you promise?"

"I won't quite promise, but I'll come if I can."

"Thanks; we shall look out for you."

He shook hands, gave her an earnest glance, nodded to Bell and turned
away. His evening had been a partial success, but not a whole one. He
left Beatrice, as he almost always did, with a sense of irritation. It
was her frank and open indifference that impelled him to her side.
Indifference when Captain Bertram chose to woo was an altogether novel
experience to so fascinating an individual. Hitherto it had been all the
other way. He had flirted many times, and with success. Once even he had
fallen in love; he owned to himself that he had been badly hit, but
there had been no doubt at all about his love being returned, it had
been given back to him in full and abundant measure. He sighed to-night
as he thought of that passionate episode. He remembered ardent words,
and saw again a face which had once been all the world to him.
Separation had come, however; his was not a stable nature, and the old
love, the first love, had given place to many minor flirtations.

"I wonder where my old love is now," he thought, and then again he felt
a sense of irritation as he remembered Beatrice. "She is quite the
coolest girl I have ever met," he said to himself. "But I'll win her
yet. Yes, I'm determined. Am I to eat the bread of humiliation in vain?
Faugh! Am I to make love to a creature like Matty Bell in the vain hope
of rousing the envy or the jealousy of that proud girl? I don't believe
she has got either envy or jealousy. She seemed quite pleased when I
spoke to that wretched little personage, although she had the grace to
look a trifle ashamed for her sex when Miss Matty so openly made love to
me. Well, this i