e your own terms of peace, I resolved to submit to everything
and anything."

"You don't 'stay put,' is the trouble. Did I look and act so very
cross that morning?"

"You looked magnificent, and you spoke with such just eloquent
indignation that you made my blood tingle. No, my brave, true
friend--I may say that, mayn't I?--it was not a little thing for
you to go away alone to fight so heroic a battle and achieve such a
victory; and, Madge, I honor you with the best homage of my heart. You
have taught me how to meet trouble when it comes."

As they went up the steps, Arnault, with a pale, stern face, and
looking neither to the right nor to the left, passed them and strode
away.

CHAPTER XXXIII

THE END OF DIPLOMACY

Mr. Arnault's manner as he passed struck both Graydon and Madge as
indicating strong feeling and stern purpose. In order to account for
his action, it is necessary to go back in our history for a short
period. While Madge was receiving such rich compensation for having
become simply what she was, Miss Wildmere had been gathering the
rewards of diplomacy. As we have seen, she had reached the final
conclusion that if Mr. Muir did not fail that day she would accept
Graydon at once; and, during its earlier hours, she had been
complacency itself, feeling that everything was now in her own hands.
Mr. Muir's appearance and manner the previous evening had nearly
convinced her that he was in no financial difficulties whatever--that
her father and Mr. Arnault were either mistaken or else were deceiving
her. "If the latter is the case," she had thought, "they have so
bungled as to enable me to test the truth of their words within
twenty-four hours.

"I am virtually certain," she said, with an exultant smile, "that I
shall be engaged to Graydon Muir before I sleep to-night."

In the afternoon it began to trouble her that Graydon had not
appeared. As the hours passed she grew anxious, and with the shadow of
night there fell a chill on her heart and hope. This passed into alarm
when at last Graydon arrived with his brother and Madge, and greeted
her with the cold recognition that has been described. She had met Mr.
Arnault cordially at first, because there were still possibilities in
his favor; but when her father promptly disappeared, with the evident
purpose to avoid questions, and Mr. Muir and his family at supper gave
evidence of superb spirits instead of trouble, she saw that she had
been duped, o