er all the days."

Lady Grace looked up. At that moment she was more than pretty. Her eyes
were soft and bright, the color had flooded her cheeks.

"But I don't see _why_ it should be impossible, Penelope," she
protested. "We are equals in every way. Alliances between our two
countries are greatly to be desired. I have heard my father say so, and
Mr. Haviland. The trouble is, Pen," she added with trembling lips, "that
he does not care for me."

"You cannot tell," Penelope answered. "He has never shown any signs of
caring for any woman. Remember, though, that he would want you to live
in Japan."

"I'd live in Thibet if he asked me to," Lady Grace declared, raising
her handkerchief to her eyes, "but he never will. He doesn't care. He
doesn't understand. I am very foolish, Penelope."

Penelope kissed her gently.

"Dear," she said, "you are not the only foolish woman in the world."...

Conversation amongst the younger members of the house-party at Devenham
Castle was a little disjointed that evening. Perhaps Penelope, who came
down in a wonderful black velveteen gown, with a bunch of scarlet roses
in her corsage, was the only one who seemed successfully to ignore the
passage of arms which had taken place so short a while ago. She talked
pleasantly to Somerfield, who tried to be dignified and succeeded only
in remaining sulky. Chance had placed her at some distance from the
Prince, to whom Lady Grace was talking with a subdued softness in her
manner which puzzled Captain Wilmot, her neighbor on the other side.

"I saw you with all the evening papers as usual, Bransome," the Prime
Minister remarked during the service of dinner. "Was there any news?"

"Nothing much," the Foreign Secretary replied. "Consuls are down another
point and the Daily Comet says that you are like a drowning man clinging
to the raft of your majority. Excellent cartoon of you, by the bye. You
shall see it after dinner."

"Thank you," the Prime Minister said. "Was there anything about you in
the same paper by any chance?"

"Nothing particularly abusive," Sir Edward answered blandly. "By the
bye, the police declare that they have a definite clue this time,
and are going to arrest the murderer of Hamilton Fynes and poor dicky
Vanderpole tonight or tomorrow."

"Excellent!" the Duke declared. "It would have been a perfect disgrace
to our police system to have left two such crimes undetected. Our
respected friend at the Home Office will have a li