ainst the wall, two

oulder spake: "Dead ma

ARD KI

r of an hour, found himself in the doorway of the second.

r white profile outlined against the framed darkness, as she liste

as their wont to look at society and the indulgen

t unity with each other, and with a mind absolutely unconscious of self. She had not the long nose which so frequently usurps more than its share of the faces of the well bred, nor had she, alas! the short upper lip which redeems everythin

nd pure as Rachel's, on which the sun and rain have never beaten, there is an expression betokening strong resistance from within of the brunt of a whirlwind from without. The marks of conflict a

erceived to his astonishment that she recognised him. But she did not bow, and

g itself upon her strength, a strength which had been tried. She would love him, and uphold him. There would be no more yielding to circumstances if that pure strong soul were close beside him. He would lean upon her, and the ugly bypaths of these last years would kno

e," he said to hi

touched him ge

aid. "Nearly every one has gone. Will yo

her, not re

ed you?" sh

om and got her a glass of champagne. She subsided on to a sofa beside another woman, vaguely suspecting trouble in the air. He felt thankful that Rachel had already gone. Dick,

m in his coat. An instinct of flight possessed him, a vague horror of the woman i

ing him languidly, "I want three minutes o

oncernedly, as he followed his host to a back room on the ground floo

said the older man, turning on the electric ligh

ew old Japanese inlaid carbines, an

ly, and then remained motionless. "You observe these two paper lighters, Scarlett? One is an inch shorter than the other. They have been waiting on the mantel-shelf for the last month, till I had an opportunity of drawing your attention to them. I am s

of the glass. He glanced suddenly

be regretted pistols for two and coffee for four. I hold the lighters thus, and you draw. Whoever draws or keeps the short one is pledged to l

and a tiger glint leapt into Lord New

e flame of a candle wavers in a sudden draught. Lord Newhave

inch Hugh thought afterwards th

d then put out his hand suddenly and d

lighters on the table u

whaven

t, and then went o