ble."

"I remember it perfectly," he said. "Wasn't it supposed to be a very
good dance?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I believe so," she answered. "There was the usual fault--too many
girls. But it was very pretty to watch."

"You do not care for dancing, yourself, perhaps?" he hazarded.

"Indeed I do," she declared. "But I knew scarcely any one there. I see
a good deal of Kate sometimes, but the others I scarcely know at all."

"You were in the same position as I was, then," he answered, smiling.

"Oh, you--you are different," she remarked. "I mean that you are a man,
and at a dance that means everything. That is why I rather dislike
dances. We are too dependent upon you. If you would only let us dance
alone."

Selina smiled in a superior manner. She would have given a good deal to
have been invited to the dance in question, but that was a matter which
she did not think it worth while to mention.

"My dear Mary!" she said, "what an idea. I am quite sure that when you
go out with us you need never have any difficulty about partners."

"Our programmes for the Liberal Club Dance and the County Cricket Ball
were full before we had been in the room five minutes," Louise
interposed.

Mary smiled inwardly, but said nothing, and Brooks was quite sure then
that she was different. He realized too that her teeth were perfect,
and her complexion, notwithstanding its pallor, was faultless. She
would have been strikingly good-looking but for her mouth, and that--was
it a discontented or a supercilious curl? At any rate it disappeared
when she smiled.

"May I ask whether you have been attending a political meeting this
evening, Miss Scott?" he asked. "You came in after us, I think."

She shook her head.

"No, I have a class on Wednesday evening."

"A class!" he repeated, doubtfully.

Mr. Bullsom, who thought he had been out of the conversation long
enough, interposed.

"Mary calls herself a bit of a philanthropist, you see, Mr. Brooks," he
explained. "Goes down into Medchester and teaches factory girls to play
the piano on Wednesday evenings. Much good may it do them."

There was a curious gleam in the girl's eyes for a moment which checked
the words on Brooks' lips, and led him to precipitately abandon the
conversation. But afterwards, while Selina was pedalling at the pianola
and playing havoc with the expression-stops, he crossed the room and
stood for a moment by her chair.

"I should like you to tell m