suaded her husband to let their place 'Glenthorne' for
the last two winters, and she and her daughter had already returned to
Kensington Park Gardens after a round of visits, leaving Mr. Langton
to enjoy a little more shooting before the Courts reopened.

Caffyn was now away at the Featherstones' country seat, somewhere in
the Midlands, and Mark, who remained in town after their return from
Germany, had taken the earliest opportunity of calling on the
Langtons, when Mabel seemed more frankly glad to see him than he had
dared to hope, and in one short half-hour the understanding between
them had advanced several months. She showed the greatest interest in
his wanderings, and he described the various petty adventures in his
most effective manner, until even Mrs. Langton was roused to a little
indulgent laughter. When Dolly came in later, Mark was embraced
enthusiastically. 'I was so afraid you wouldn't be back in time for my
party,' she said. 'You will come--now won't you? It's to-morrow week;
my birthday, you know.' And of course Mark was delighted to promise to
come, as Mabel seconded the invitation.

'We're quite at a loss to know how to amuse the children,' she said a
little later. 'Perhaps you can help us to an idea?'

'We could have the Performing Pigmies,' said Mrs. Langton, 'but the
boys might tread on them, and that would be so expensive, you know.'

'Don't have any performing things, mother,' pleaded Dolly; 'have only
dancing.'

'Most of the boys hate dancing,' said Mabel.

'Some of them don't a bit,' urged Dolly, 'and those who do can stay
away; _I_ don't want them. But don't have entertainments; they always
leave a horrid mess that takes hours to clear away after them.'

'It's all very well for you, Dolly,' said Mabel, laughing, 'but I
shall have to keep the boys in order; and last time they played at
robbers, tramping about all over the house, and when everyone had gone
there was one of them left behind upstairs, Mr. Ashburn, howling to be
let out of the cupboard!'

'Bobby Fraser, that was,' said Dolly; 'stupid little duffer. We won't
have him this time. And, mother darling, I want to dance _all_ the
time; and it's my own party. Dancing is enough--it is _really_,' she
pleaded in a pretty frenzy of impatience. And Dolly got her own way as
usual.

Mabel was a little surprised at her own pleasure in seeing Mark again.
She had looked forward to meeting him, but without being prepared for
the wild joy t