d me the other day
that he wanted me to perform the christening ceremony."

"You have my permission," said Jake. "What does he propose to call her?"

"_The Blue Moon_, I believe. But he was in a freakish mood. He may have
changed his mind by this time."

Jake glanced round. "Where's the kid?"

"Who? Toby? I thought she went out early. Hasn't she been riding with
you?"

"No, she dodged me," said Jake. "Went off on her own on one of those raw
colts. I shall have to talk to her when she comes in."

"I hope she's all right," said Maud, with a touch of anxiety.

"She's all right," said Jake.

"But why did she dodge you? Have you been quarrelling?" Maud paused in
the act of opening her letter and looked at him with a grave questioning
that brought a gleam of humour into Jake's eyes.

"We have not," he said. "I've scarcely seen her since yesterday morning.
I can't tell you why she dodged me. I only know she did it."

"How odd of her!" said Maud.

He sat down and took up the paper; his face was grim. "I shall know why
presently. Read your letter. I'm in no hurry."

Maud opened the letter from Saltash and there fell a brief silence.

It was broken by the sound of light feet outside the door, and Toby,
still wearing riding-dress, her face flushed and laughing, swung into the
room. "I'm so sorry I'm late," she said. "The little fiend ran away with
us, and we had a gigantic tussle. Do you mind if I sit down in these
things?"

She went round to Maud to kiss her, and stopped as Maud's arm came about
her.

"Do you mind?" she said again.

"My dear," Maud said very gently, "Jake is going to scold you for riding
that half-broken colt by yourself. It was very risky. Why did you do it?"

"Oh, is Jake cross?" said Toby. She looked across at him with an imp of
mischief in her eyes. Then, as he still studied his paper, abruptly she
left Maud and went round to him.

"Cheer up, Jake!" she said. "Don't throw a cloud on the proceedings!"

Her voice was half impudent, half wheedling. Jake looked up, his eyes
very direct and somewhat stern.

"You sit down and have some breakfast!" he said. "I'll talk to you
afterwards."

She obeyed him with a slight shrug of the shoulders. "P'raps I shan't
stay to be talked to," she remarked, as she did so. "I've promised to
take Eileen and Molly out as soon as I've had my tub, so if it's going to
be a lengthy wigging, you'd better begin now."

Jake did not begin. He turned deliberately