o a blaze.

Dreda sat back in her chair and watched the process with a dull,
detached curiosity. Susan's back looked so narrow and small; the brown
dress fastened at the back with a row of ugly bone buttons; as she knelt
the soles of her new slippers seemed to fill up the entire foreground.
They were startlingly, shockingly white! As she bent from side to side
blowing skilfully upon the struggling flames, one could catch a glimpse
of her profile, white and wan, with red circles round the eyes. Such a
poor, weary little conqueror, on her knees striving to serve her fallen
rival. Something stirred in Dreda's heart; the ice melted, she cleared
her throat, and addressed her friend by name.

"Susan!"

Susan sat back on her heels, lifting scared, pitiful eyes.

"Susan," said Dreda regally, "I don't hate you. You needn't be
frightened. I don't hate you a bit--I'm _sorry_ for you. This should
have been your triumph, and I have spoiled it. It's very hard on you
too, Susan!"

"Oh, Dreda!" gasped Susan breathlessly. "Dreda, you're _magnificent_!"
She was wan and white no longer; her eyes blazed. No one seeing Susan
at that moment could possibly have called her plain; the lovely soul of
her shone through the flesh, working its transformation, even as the
leaping flames were now turning the dull hearth into a thing of beauty
and life.

Still on her knees, Susan crawled across the few intervening yards of
floor, and rested her head against Dreda's knee.

"I'd have given it up a hundred times--a thousand over, Dreda, rather
than let you have this experience!" she said brokenly. And Dreda knew
that she spoke the truth.

It was in this attitude that Nancy discovered the two girls when she
entered the room a few minutes later, bearing in her hands a temptingly
spread tea-tray. One glance of the red-brown eyes testified to her
satisfaction at such eloquent signs of peace, but manner and speech
disdained sentiment.

"Corn in Egypt!" she cried cheerfully. "The Duck fairly showered
dainties upon me--scones, sandwiches, cakes, _and_ a fresh pot of tea.
Let's fall to at once. I am fainting with hunger."

She placed three chairs round the table, seated herself in front of the
tray, and, pouring out three cups of tea, handed them round with
hospitable zeal. Dreda ate and drank and felt comforted, in spite of
herself. It was wonderful how the mere creature comforts of warmth and
food seemed to soothe the pain at her h