r depart, for the entire room was merely an
indistinct blur. He was too desperately angry even to swear. In this
emergency, Mr. Wynkoop, dimly realizing that something unpleasant had
occurred, sought to attract the attention of his new parishioner along
happier lines.

"How exceedingly strange it is, Mr. Moffat," he ventured, "that beings
otherwise rational, and possessing souls destined for eternity, can
actually appear to extract pleasure from such senseless exercises? I
do not in the least blame Miss Spencer, for she is yet young, and
probably thoughtless about such matters, as the youthful are wont to
be, but I am, indeed, rejoiced to note that you do not dance."

Moffat wheeled upon him, his teeth grinding savagely together. "Shut
up!" he snapped, fiercely, and shaking off the pastor's gently
restraining fingers, shouldered his passage through the crowd toward
the door.

CHAPTER VI

THE LIEUTENANT MEETS MISS SPENCER

Lieutenant Brant was somewhat delayed in reaching the scene of Miss
Spencer's social triumph. Certain military requirements were largely
responsible for this delay, and he had patiently wrestled with an
unsatisfactory toilet, mentally excoriating a service which would not
permit the transportation of dress uniforms while on scouting detail.
Nevertheless, when he finally stepped forth into the brilliant
moonlight, he presented an interesting, soldierly figure, his face
still retaining a bit of the boy about it, his blue eyes bright with
expectancy. That afternoon he had half decided not to go at all, the
glamour of such events having long before grown dim, but the peculiar
attraction of this night proved too strong; not thus easily could he
erase from memory the haunting witchery of a face. Beyond doubt, when
again viewed amid the conventionalities, much of its imagined charm
would vanish; yet he would see her once more, although no longer
looking forward to drawing a prize.

The dance was already in full swing, the exciting preliminaries having
been largely forgotten in the exuberance of motion, when he finally
pushed his way through the idle loungers gathered about the door, and
gained entrance to the hall. Many glanced curiously at him, attracted
by the glitter of his uniform, but he recognized none among them, and
therefore passed steadily toward the musicians' stand, where there
appeared to be a few unoccupied chairs.

The scene was one of color and action. The rapid, pulsat