ime in his life a Cartesian.

Rose really listened to this for want of something better to do, and
Raeburn, thinking that he had been neglecting her, and much relieved at
the thought that he had at length found some point of mutual interest,
asked her whether she had read the book in question.

"Oh, I have no time for reading," said Rose.

He looked a little amused at this statement. Rose continued:

"Who was Spinoza? I never heard any of his music."

"He was a philosopher, not a composer," said Raeburn, keeping his
countenance with difficulty.

"What dreadfully learned people you are!" said Rose with one of her arch
smiles. "But do tell me, how can a man be a Cartesian? I've heard of
Cartesian wells, but never--"

She broke off for this was quite too much for Raeburn's gravity; he
laughed, but so pleasantly that she laughed too.

"You are thinking of artesian wells, I fancy," he said in his
kindly voice; and he began to give her a brief outline of Descartes'
philosophy, which it is to be feared she did not at all appreciate.
She was not sorry when Erica appealed to him for some disputed fact,
in which they all seemed most extraordinarily interested, for when the
discussion had lasted some minutes, Tom went off in the middle of dinner
and fetched in two or three bulky books of reference; these were eagerly
seized upon, to the entire disregard of the pudding which was allowed to
get cold.

Presently the very informal meal was ended by some excellent coffee
in the place of the conventional dessert, after which came a hurried
dispersion as they were all going to some political meeting at the East
End. Cabs were unattainable and, having secured a couple of link-boys,
they set off, apparently in excellent spirits.

"Fancy turning out on such a night as this!" said Rose, putting her arm
within Erica's. "I am so glad you are not going for now we can really
have a cozy talk. I've ever so much to tell you."

Erica looked rather wistfully after the torches and the retreating forms
as they made their way down the steps; she was much disappointed at
being obliged to miss this particular meeting, but luckily Rose was not
in the least likely to find this out for she could not imagine for a
moment that any one really cared about missing a political meeting,
particularly when it would have involved turning out on such a
disagreeable night.

Erica had persuaded Rose to telegraph both to her friends at Sandgale
and to her