terrupted Captain
Will, "while I give some orders at the stables and in the garden? I very
nearly forgot them. Mrs. Hallam will entertain you in my absence, I'm
sure."

As soon as the head of the house had made his escape through the door,
Mrs. Hallam--whose friendship for Duncan had won all that is possible of
privilege for itself--turned to him and asked:

"Why haven't you been taking Barbara to places? Why didn't you tell me
to invite her here for supper to-night? You know I have had her here a
dozen times, and you know how welcome she always is."

"Your last question is easily answered," he replied. "I did not think of
asking you to invite her to supper this evening for the reason that
Captain Will sent me word that he had business affairs to talk over with
me."

Mrs. Hallam's face was wreathed in smiles.

"I wonder," she said, "if there ever was a young man clever enough to
hold his own with a woman at word fence. And I wonder if there was ever
one who didn't think he could."

"I confess," he said quickly, "that I'm not clever enough to know what
you mean by those two wonderings of yours."

"Oh, yes you do. You deliberately tried to shy off my first
question"--at this point she touched a bell--"by answering the second
first, and then omitting to answer the first at all."

At this moment a servant appeared in answer to her ring.

"Send word to John," she commanded, "to bring the carriage at once--the
open one with the bays. Now, Guilford Duncan, I have no time to talk
with you except the ten minutes before the carriage comes. For I'm going
to put on a hat and go after Barbara. Perhaps, between us, she and I can
prevent you two men from talking business at supper. Tell me----"

"But can Barbara come on so short a notice?"

"What sort of blunderer do you take me to be? I sent her a note two
hours ago saying I should go after her, and she sent me for reply, a
note saying she would be more than glad to come. But you mustn't grow
conceited over that. I didn't tell her you were to be here, or that I
meant to put you into the carriage to escort her home. It is quite
possible that if I had told her that she would have declined the
invitation. Now, answer my first question. Why haven't you been taking
Barbara to places--to church and all the rest of it?"

"Must I tell you the truth?"

"Yes, certainly. What would be the use of telling me anything else? I
should know if your fibbed."

"I really believe you wo