present perilous.

And Helen would not permit herself to believe that it could ever
really become an impossible situation--that this young girl would
deliberately slap civilisation in the face; or that her only son would
add a kick to the silly assault and take the ruinous consequences of
social ostracism.

* * * * *

The young girl in question was at that moment seated before her piano,
her charming head uplifted, singing in the silvery voice of an
immaculate angel, to her own accompaniment, the heavenly Mass of Saint
Hilde:

"Love me,
Adorable Mother!
Mary,
I worship no other.
Save me,
O, graciously save me
I pray!
Let my Darkness be turned into Day
By the Light of Thy Grace
And Thy Face,
I pray!"

She continued the exquisite refrain on the keys for a while, then
slowly turned to the man beside her.

"The one Mass I still love," she murmured absently, "--memories of
childhood, I suppose--when the Sisters made me sing the solo--I was
only ten years old." ... She shrugged her shoulders: "You know, in
those days, I was a little devil," she said seriously.

He smiled.

"I really was, Jim,--all over everything and wild as a swallow. I led
the pack; Shadow Hill held us in horror. I remember I fought our
butcher's boy once--right in the middle of the street----"

"Why?"

"He did something to a cat which I couldn't stand."

"Did you whip him?"

"Oh, Jim, it was horrid. We both were dreadfully battered. And the
constable caught us both, and I shall never, never forget my mother's
face!----"

She gazed down at the keys of the piano, touched them pensively.

"The very deuce was in me," she sighed. "Even now, unless I'm occupied
with all my might, something begins--to simmer in me----"

She turned and looked at him: "--A sort of enchanted madness that
makes me wild to seize the whole world and set it right!--take it into
my arms and defend it--die for it--or slay it and end its pain."

"Too much of an armful," he said with great gravity. "The thing to do
is to select an individual and take _him_ to your heart."

"And slay him?" she inquired gaily.

"Certainly--like the feminine mantis--if you find you don't like him.
Ind