ished. "I say, ye
know," he went on, "what is happening in this house to-night?"

Jerry came straight down to Mrs. Chichester.

"I saw your lights go up and I came here on the run. I guessed
something like this had happened. Don't be hard on your niece, Mrs.
Chichester. The whole thing was entirely my fault. I asked her to go."

Mrs. Chichester looked at him stonily.

"You took my niece to a dance in spite of my absolute refusal to allow
her to go?"

"He had nothin' to do with it;" said Peg, "I took him to that dance."
She wasn't going to allow Jerry to be abused without lodging a protest.
After all it was her fault. She made him take her. Very, well--she
would take the blame. Mrs. Chichester looked steadily at Jerry for a
few moments before she spoke. When she did speak her voice was cold and
hard and accusatory.

"Surely, Sir Gerald Adair knows better than to take a girl of eighteen
to a public ball without her relations' sanction?"

"I thought only of the pleasure it would give her," he answered.
"Please accept my sincerest apologies."

Peg looked at him in wonder:

"Sir Gerald Adair! Are YOU Sir Gerald Adair?"

"Yes, Peg."

"So ye have a title, have yez?"

He did not answer.

Peg felt somehow that she had been cheated. Why had he not told her?
Why did he let her play and romp and joke and banter with him as though
they had been children and equals? It wasn't fair! He was just
laughing, at her! Just laughing at her! All her spirit was in quick
revolt.

"Do you realise what you have done?" broke in Mrs. Chichester.

"I'm just beginning to," replied Peg bitterly.

"I am ashamed of you! You have disgraced us all!" cried Mrs. Chichester.

"Have I?" screamed Peg fiercely. "Well, if I HAVE then I am goin' back
to some one who'd never be ashamed o' me, no matter what I did. Here
I've never been allowed to do one thing I've wanted to. He lets me do
EVERYTHING I want because he loves and trusts me an' whatever I do is
RIGHT because _I_ do it. I've disgraced ye, have I? Well, none of you
can tell me the truth. I'm goin' back to me father."

"Go back to your father and glad we are to be rid of you!" answered
Mrs. Chichester furiously.

"I am goin' back to him--"

Before she could say anything further, Ethel suddenly rose unsteadily
and cried out:

"Wait, mother! She mustn't go. We have all been grossly unfair to her.
It is _I_ should go. To-night she saved me from--she saved me from--"
suddenly Ethe