He returned to the dirty, comfortable old sofa by the fire.

Beaten! and Larry was used to victory. In all his twenty-five years of
life, he had never been thwarted. What he wished to do, that he did,
in games, in sport, in art. He might have said, with Beatrice: "There
was a star danced, and under that was I born!"

The first defeat he could remember was the one he had suffered at
Christian's hands, and here he was, turned down again, twice in a
month!

"My luck's out!" he said, staring at the flickering, whispering fire,
and feeling that ebbing of life which will befall, even at five and
twenty, when exhaustion, that has been held at bay by excitement and
hope, comes to its own.

The door burst open, and Tishy came swiftly into the room.

"I've just heard!" she said. "Dad got it on the other 'phone. It's a
wicked shame and a disgrace! That's what it is!" Her voice was hot
with wrath and sympathy; she flung across the room and caught Larry's
hand and shook it vehemently. "The fools!" she cried, furiously. "You
were too good for them, that's what it was! The dirty, low,
common--Oh, there's no words bad enough for them!" Her eyes blazed;
she looked exceedingly handsome. She was moved by a perfectly genuine
emotion of indignation; Larry was Mangan property, and it was not
fitting that the leading family of Cluhir should be defeated.

"You look half dead this minute!" she cried, pushing him down on to
the sofa by the hand that she had taken. "Sit down for gracious sake!"

Again the door opened, and from without the Doctor's deep voice said:

"Tishy! Come here a minute, I want you."

Larry, sitting on the sofa, watching his wet boots steaming, was
conscious of a sense of consolation. It was something to know that
these kind people cared. He heard the light chink of glasses, and
looked round, and saw Tishy coming into the room, bearing a tray, on
which were a cake, and wineglasses, and a bottle of champagne.

"Dad says he prescribes a little stimulant!" said Tishy, gaily, "the
wire's cut--"

She took the cork out of the bottle with a strong, capable hand, and
filled two glasses. "Drink that at once now! And I'll drink one drop
myself--just for luck! Here now! Here's to the next time, and you at
the top of the poll!"

"Sounds as if I were a bear!" said Larry, with a pale smile at her, as
he lifted the glass, "Clink!" He touched her glass, and then drank the
wine thirstily.

"I was just about cooked," he said