traightly in the face,
and the gleam of his eyes reminded the Englishman of glacier ice.

'Knowing so many of our peculiarities, perhaps Captain Rallywood may no
longer care to join us?' said the Guardsman.

Rallywood laughed with absolute good-humour.

'I both care and--dare!' he said pleasantly.

Unziar's face cleared.

'I am forgetting my errand,' he said with a slight change of tone. 'I
have been sent by a lady to bring you to her. Will you follow me?'

As they approached the group, the shorter of the two black dominoes
spoke.

'You need not trouble to introduce Captain Rallywood, Anthony. We are
already friends; are we not, Monsieur?'

The sweet high voice and the inconsequent childish laugh came upon
Rallywood with a slight shock.

'I could hardly have dared to claim so much,' he said; 'but I cannot
forget that Madame de Sagan--'

She laid her hand with a suspicion of caressing familiarity on his arm.

'Hush, then! Do you not know that it is inadmissible to mention the name
of a masked lady until the clock strikes midnight? Captain Rallywood has
been stationed near the Castle at Kofn Ford; we have therefore
met--occasionally,' continued the lady, addressing herself to
Mademoiselle Selpdorf.

'Captain Rallywood is luckier than most of us,' interposed another
voice. 'He seems to have an enviable facility for appearing where we
others in vain wish to be. Only last week----'

A tall Mephistopheles in scarlet silk, whose high shoulders lent him
added height, had joined them. His peaked cap and feather sparkled with
lurid points of fire. Countess Sagan turned upon him.

'But, Baron, where is then your domino? It is not yet midnight,' she
exclaimed, her hand still remaining on Rallywood's arm.

'Listen!' von Elmur raised his hand. 'The happy moment arrives when the
beautiful faces we long to see----' He gave the rest of the sentence to
the ear of Mademoiselle Selpdorf, who stood silently looking on at the
little scene.

At this instant the music broke off with a sudden clang; the dancers
paused where they stood, as the great bell of the palace tower sent its
strong, mellow boom of midnight out over the frost-bound city.

Rallywood, on looking round an instant later, saw that masks and
dominoes had disappeared. Opposite to him stood Valerie Selpdorf in a
dress of some deep velvety shade, which bore, wrought upon its texture
here and there, tiny horseshoes embossed in iridescent jewels. A diadem
of th