bewitched him," protested the girl to Delaven, later.
"I never knew him to do so gallant a thing before. I could not have
been more surprised if he had proposed marriage to her before us
all."

Delaven confessed he, too, was unprepared for so much amiability, but
then he admitted he had known men to do more astonishing things than
that, on short notice, for a smile from Madame Judithe.

She accepted the rose with a slight exclamation of pleasure.

"You good people will smother me with sweets and perfumes," she
protested, touching her cheek with the beautiful flower; then, as she
was about to smell it, they were astonished to see it flung from her
with a faint cry, followed by a little laugh at the consternation of
the party.

"How unpardonable that I discover a worm at the heart of your first
friendly offering to me, Mr. Loring;" and her tones were almost
caressing as she smiled at him; "the poor, pretty blossom, so lovely,
and so helpless in the grasp of its enemy, the worm."

Pluto had entered with a pitcher of water which he placed on the
stand. He had witnessed the episode of the rose, and picked it up from
where it had been tossed.

"Margeret told me to see if you wanted anything, Mr. Loring," he said,
gently, and Mr. Loring's answer was decided, brusque and natural.

"Yes, I do; I want to go to my room; get my stick. Mistress McVeigh,
if you have no objection to me breaking up your party, I would like to
have Judge Clarkson go along; we must settle these business matters
while I am able."

"At your service, sir, with your permission, Madame," and the Judge
glanced at Mrs. McVeigh, who telegraphed a most willing consent as she
passed out on the veranda after Evilena and Delaven. Judithe stood by
the little side table, slowly pulling off her gauntlets, when she was
aware that the colored man Pluto was regarding her curiously, and she
perceived the reason. He had looked into the heart of the rose, and on
the floor where it had fallen, and had found no living thing to cause
her dread of the blossom.

He dropped his eyes when she looked at him, and just then a bit of
conversation came to him as the Judge offered his arm to Loring and
assisted him to rise.

"I certainly am pleased that you feel like looking into the business
matters," Clarkson was saying, "and the Rhoda Larue settlement cannot
be postponed any longer; Colonel McVeigh may be back any time now, and
we must be ready to settle with him."

Lor