were millions of miles away."

But Nellie Travers was "accepting attentions" with laughing grace and
enjoying the society of these young fellows immensely. The house would
have been gloomy without her and "the boys," Rayner was prompt to admit,
for he was ill at ease and sorely worried, while his inflammable Kate
was fuming over the situation of her husband's affairs. Under ordinary
circumstances she would have seen very little to object to so long as
Nellie showed no preference for any one of her admirers at Warrener, and
unless peevish or perturbed in spirit would have made little allusion to
it. As matters stood, however, she was in a most querulous and excitable
mood: she could not rail at the real cause of her misery, and so,
woman-like, she was thankful for a pretext for uncorking the vials of
her wrath on somebody or something else. If the young matrons in
garrison who, with the two or three visiting maidens, were disposed to
rebel at Miss Nell's apparent absorption of all the available cavaliers
at the post, and call her a too lucky girl, could but have heard Mrs.
Rayner's nightly tirades and hourly rebukes, they might have realized
that here, as elsewhere, the rose had its stinging thorns. As for Miss
Travers, she confounded her sister by taking it all very submissively
and attempting no defence. Possibly conscience was telling her that she
deserved more than she was getting, or than she would be likely to get
until her sister heard of the adventure with Mr. Hayne.

"By the way," said Mr. Royce one evening as they were stamping off the
snow and removing their heavy wraps in Rayner's hall-way after a series
of garrison calls, "Mrs. Waldron says she expects you to play for her
to-morrow afternoon, Miss Travers. Of course it will be my luck to be at
stables."

"You hear better music every afternoon than I can give you, Mr. Royce."

"Where, pray?" asked Mrs. Rayner, turning quickly upon them.

Mr. Royce hesitated, and--with shame be it said--allowed Miss Travers to
meet the question:

"At Mr. Hayne's, Kate."

There was the same awkward silence that always followed the mention of
Hayne's name. Mrs. Rayner looked annoyed. It was evident that she wanted
more information,--wanted to ask, but was restrained. Royce determined
to be outspoken.

"Several of us have got quite in the way of stopping there on our way
from afternoon stables," he said, very quietly. "Mr. Hayne has his
piano now, and has nearly recover