rless when she reached the Place of the Casino, where
she had often come before, to walk in the gardens or on the terrace at
unfashionable hours with her mother, on Sundays, or other days
when--unfortunately--there was no work to do.

She had sat down on a bench between a French "nou-nou," with a wonderful
head dress, and a hawk-visaged old lady with a golden wig, and had fixed
her eyes upon the Casino door, when the throb, throb of a motor caught
her attention.

Now an automobile was a marvellous dragon for Rosemary, and she could
never see too many for her pleasure. Above all things, she would have
loved a spin on the back of such a dragon, and she liked choosing
favourites from among the dragon brood.

A splendid dark blue one was panting and quivering before the door of
the Hotel de Paris, having just been started by a slim chauffeur in a
short fur coat. As Rosemary gazed, deciding that this was the noblest
dragon of them all, a young man ran down the steps of the hotel and got
into the car. He took his place in the driver's seat, laid his hand on
the steering wheel as if he were caressing a baby's head, the chauffeur
sprang up beside his master, and they were off. But with a cry, Rosemary
rushed across the road.

The nou-nou shrieked and hugged her muffled charge; the old lady
screamed, and all the other old ladies and young ladies, and pretty
girls sitting on the benches, or walking about, screamed too.

The man who drove was pale under his coat of brown tan as with a crash
of machinery he brought the big blue car to a stop so close to the child
that its glittering bonnet touched her coat. He did not say a word for
an instant, for his lips were pressed so tightly together, that they
were a white line.

[Illustration: _With a crash of machinery he brought the big blue car to
a stop_]

That beautiful, little golden-haired, smiling thing, so full of life!
But it was all right now. She was smiling still, as if she did not guess
the deadly peril she had just escaped.

"Don't you know, little one," he asked gently, "that it's very dangerous
to run in front of automobiles?"

"Oh, but I wanted so much to stop you," said Rosemary.

"Why, do you know me?" And the young man smiled such a pleasant smile,
with a gleam of white teeth, that the child was more than ever sure she
had done right.

"Yes, I know you by 'eavensenthinstinct." She got out the long word with
a gasp or two; but it was a great success. She ha