nds fell to her
sides, and she stared at him, aghast.

"I must go," he said, again.

And he started toward the door. She followed him dumbly with her eyes.

"Good-bye," he said. He knew that there was no use of any more words;
his sympathy had been like oil upon flames. He saw her move, and as he
opened the door, she flung herself down in a chair and burst into
frantic weeping. He shut the door softly and went away.

He found his way down the stairs, and got his hat and coat, and went
out, unseen by anyone. He walked down the Avenue-and there suddenly was
the giant bulk of St. Cecilia's lifting itself into the sky. He stopped
and looked at it--it seemed a great tumultuous surge of emotion. And
for the first time in his life it seemed to him that he understood why
men had put together that towering heap of stone!

Then he went on home.

He found Alice dressing for a ball, and Oliver waiting for her. He went
to his room, and took off his coat; and Oliver came up to him, and with
a sudden gesture reached over to his shoulder, and held up a trophy.

He drew it out carefully, and measured the length of it, smiling
mischievously in the meanwhile. Then he held it up to the light, to see
the colour of it.

"A black one!" he cried. "Coal black!" And he looked at his brother,
with a merry twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, Allan!" he chuckled.

Montague said nothing.

CHAPTER XX

It was about a week from the beginning of Lent, when there would be a
lull in the city's gaieties, and Society would shift the scene of its
activities to the country clubs, and to California and Hot Springs and
Palm Beach. Mrs. Caroline Smythe invited Alice to join her in an
expedition to the last-named place; but Montague interposed, because he
saw that Alice had been made pale and nervous by three months of
night-and-day festivities. Also, a trip to Florida would necessitate
ten or fifteen thousand dollars' worth of new clothes; and these would
not do for the summer, it appeared--they would be faded and passe by
that time.

So Alice settled back to rest; but she was too popular to be let
alone--a few days later came another invitation, this time from General
Prentice and his family. They were planning a railroad trip--to be gone
for a month; they would have a private train, and twenty five people in
the party, and would take in California and Mexico--"swinging round the
circle," as it was called. Alice was wild to go, and Montague gave hi