d woman a check. He doesn't much
approve of me," and the heir of the Taffy King smiled rather grimly,
"but as I'm the last Tapp----"

"He's glad ye didn't git done for _com_-pletely, heh?" suggested Jonas,
and giggled. "I wouldn't for a minute stand in the way of Bet Gallup's
gittin' what's due her. She did pick ye both up, Lawford. But, land
sakes! ye'd been six fathoms down, all right, if it hadn't been for
that gal at Cap'n Abe's."

"I--I had no idea of it. I never even thanked her," muttered Lawford.
"What can she think of me?"

But not even Miss Louder heard this. She realized, however, that the
young man who she had been told was "the greatest catch at The Beaches"
was much distrait and that her conversation seemed not to interest him
at all.

They went back toward the scene of the film activities. It was the
hour of the usual promenade on the sands. Everybody in the summer
colony appeared on the beach while the walking along the water's edge
was fine. This promenade hour was even more popular than the bathing
hour which was, of, course, at high tide.

Groups of women, young and old, strolled under gay parasols, or camped
on the sands to chat. Brilliantly striped marquees were set up below
some of the cottages, in which tea and other refreshments were served.
The younger people fluttered about, talking and laughing, much like a
flock of Mother Carey's chickens before a storm.

There were several wagons over from the Haven, in which the small-fry
summer visitors arrived and joined their more aristocratic neighbors.
The wagons stopped upon the Shell Road and the passengers climbed down
to the beach between two of the larger cottages.

The people at The Beaches had tried on several occasions to inclose the
stretch of shore below their summer homes, and to make it a private
beach. But even the most acquisitive of the town councilmen (and there
were several of the fraternity of the Itching Palm in the council)
dared not establish such a precedent. The right of the public to the
shore at tide-water could not safely be ignored in a community of
fishermen and clam diggers.

So the shore on this morning had become a gay scene, with the interest
centering on the open air studio of the film company. Lawford saw
Louise walking on alone along the edge of the water. Bane had been
called into conference by the director.

Lawford could not well hasten his steps and desert Miss Louder, but he
desired stro