e of their favourite games here. It was only a game. Of course they
could never shock anybody. They were quite harmless people, too grown up
to be very interesting, but almost always kind, and always gay.

The Colonel's profile was really beautiful through the curling, bluish
smoke, and Judith liked his quick, flashing smile. He turned now and
smiled at Judith. Her own smile was charming, a faint, half smile, that
never knew whether to turn into a real smile or to go away and not come
again, but was always just on the point of deciding.

"Is our debutante bored?"

"Oh, no; I was just thinking. No."

"She's blushing. Look at her."

"Yes, look at a real one. Do you good, Lil," agreed the Judge, and Mrs.
Burr rubbed a pink cheek with her table napkin, exhibited it daintily,
and laughed.

"Rose-white youth! But she doth protest too much." The Honourable Joe
was fond of quotations, and often tried to make his remarks sound like
them, when he could not recall appropriate ones, raising a solemn fat
finger to emphasize them: "The thoughts of youth are long, long
thoughts."

"Wrong, wrong thoughts," supplied Randolph Sebastian, so gravely that
the Honourable Joe accepted the amendment, and looked worried, as only
the thought of losing his grip on Bartlett's "Familiar Quotations" could
worry him at the end of a perfect meal.

"Wrong thought?" he repeated, in a puzzled voice.

"Thinking's barred here. What's the penalty, Judge?"

"You aren't likely to get it inflicted on you, so I won't tell you,
Lil."

"No, I don't think; I act," Mrs. Burr admitted cheerfully. She always
became a shade more cheerful just when you expected her to lose her
temper.

"How true that is," observed Mr. Sebastian gently.

"Ranny!"

"Didn't you play auction with me last night? We're out just----"

"Don't tell me. I can't think in anything beyond three figures. Ted's
doing higher mathematics over it. That's why he's home, really. I'll
play with you again to-night, for your sins."

"For my sins!" He made melancholy eyes, as if he were really confessing
them. Mr. Sebastian always pretended a deep devotion to Mrs. Burr.
Judith thought it was one of the silliest of their games.

"But what was Judy thinking about?" demanded Mrs. Grant, in the sweet,
indifferent voice that always made itself heard.

"She met a fairy prince at the ball last night. They are still to be
met--at balls."

"You'd meet one anywhere he made a date, wouldn't you,