The voices
go out of hearing, and it is so long before the Baron returns,
hatless, that he must have gone all the way to the sea-houses down
on the beach.

* * * * *

Sally retired to her own couch in order to supply an inducement to her
mother to go to bed herself, and sit up no longer for Gerry's return,
which might be any time, of course. Rosalind conceded the point, and
was left alone under a solemn promise not to be a goose and fidget.
But she was very deliberate about it; and though she didn't fidget,
she went all the slower that she might think back on a day--an
hour--of twenty years ago, and on the incident that Gerry had half
recalled, quite accurately as far as it went, but strangely
unsupported by surroundings or concomitants.

It came back to her with both. She could remember even the face of her
mother's coachman Forsyth, who had driven her with Miss Stanynaught,
her _chaperon_ in this case, to the dance where she was to meet Gerry,
as it turned out; and how Forsyth was told not to come for them before
three in the morning, as he would only have to wait; and how Miss
Stanynaught, her governess of late, who was over forty, pleaded for
two, and Forsyth _did_ have to wait; and how she heard the music and
the dancing above, for they were late; and how they waded upstairs
against a descending stream of muslin skirts and marked attentions
going lawnwards towards the summer night, and bent on lemonade and
ices; and then their entry into the dancing-room, and an excited
hostess and daughters introducing partners like mad; and an excited
daughter greeting a gentleman who had come upstairs behind them, with
"Well, Mr. Palliser, you _are_ late. You don't deserve to be allowed
to dance at all." And that was Jessie Nairn, of course, who added,
"I've jilted you for Arthur Fenwick."

How well Rosalind could remember turning round and seeing a splendid
young chap who said, "What a jolly shame!" and didn't seem to be
oppressed by that or anything else; also Jessie's further speech,
apologizing for having also appropriated Miss Graythorpe's partner. So
they would have to console each other. What a saucy girl Jessie was,
to be sure! She introduced them with a run, "Mr. Algernon Palliser,
Miss Rosalind Graythorpe, Miss Rosalind Graythorpe, Mr. Algernon
Palliser," and fled. And Rosalind was piqued about Arthur Fenwick's
desertion. It seemed all so strange now--such a vanished world! Just
fan