successful study." Then the quadrille was over.
She was moving about, still on the captain's
arm. Now was my time. I would go and ask
her. Mr. Wicks had hung out a banner with
the device " Lancers," and was busily engaged
somewhere on a level with the pedals of the
piano, affecting to look for his music. But
where was she ? She was gone, and I
wandered restlessly, looking for her.

Mr. Goodman stopped me, patronisingly.
"Oh, you here, sir! So you are let out to
parties! You mustn't be idle, though, if you
want to learn eemewlation."

I found her in the greenhouse at the back
with him. I had interrupted them, the ill-
conditioned fellow saying, " Good gracious, this is
getting quite a plague!" This? He might
have referred to me, but I was not quite certain.
But she said,

"Oh dear! Our dance? Well, the fact is,
you never asked me, you know, and this—"

"This is the Lancers you promised me" a
voice said behind me, the voice of my enemy,
and now my rival.

This was too much — quite too much—much
too much.

''Promised you!" I said, with bitter contempt.

"Do you know, I believe I did," she said,
smiling. "I recollect. I must be just, you
know, Mr. Sidney."

"But you told me," I said, bitterly, " that you
would keep your dance for me, and I have been
watching and waiting the whole night, while
this—this fellow — "

"Halloa, youngster!" said the captain.
"Keep civil before a lady."

"Oh, I don't care," said the virtuous and
well brought-up Goodman. " Miss Burkenshaw,
I know, will keep her word."

She laughed, and said, " Captain Bulstock,
what am I to do with these two gentlemen?"

"Take this one, of course," he said, nodding
to Goodman; "this other will stand on your
dress, or do something of the kind."

"No, I don't think so," she said, smiling.
"But I suppose I must take Goodman. And,"
she added, putting her bright face down to
mine, " later we shall have our dance."

But I turned away with a face that swelled
and glowed in a perfect agony of rage and
grief. This was the end, then, after all — the
end of the superfine extra—the end of the
white jean—the end of the hard labours of the
past week? Vengeance was the only thought.
I stole a look at the Lancers. She was engaged
in an animated conversation with the detested
Goodman. He was talking to her with his
disgusting glibness and volubility. I heard his
father's voice. " A very clever lad—will get
on — great application and eemewlation. Only
last week we had a little competitive trial
between him and another young fellow who—-"
It was getting unendurable.

I met her coming out. The captain was
with her again. " Now," I said, in a trembling
voice, " you will keep your promise."

"Oh, my good little fellow, folly!" said the
captain. " Get away, do. You won't dance with
any more of these children. I want to speak
to you." And he took her arm in an
authoritative way.

She looked irresolute, and gave me such a
beaming smile. "My poor little beau, who
has been so faithful. I tell you what," she
added, suddenly, "'there is a pretty little belle
of a girl, Grace M'Gregor; she shall dance
with you instead."

"I don't want to dance with her, you cruel,
unkind woman," I said, and turned away.

More trays of yellow lemonade. A valse set
in à trois temps. But they were not dancing.
I looked for my amber-robed queen, towards
whom I could not bring myself to feel hostility
though she had treated me so ill. I searched
everywhere. The captain was also absent.

At the entrance to the greenhouse I brushed
against the exemplary boy; he was telling a
contemporary, " Yes, she danced with me, and threw
over another man" — when his guilty eye rested
on mine. But lie did not lack courage — I must
do him that justice. "By the way," he said,
with insufferable coolness, " you should not call
any gentleman 'a fellow' before a lady. It
ain't polite."

"I don't care whether it is or it isn't," I
said, breathing hard.

"That's another matter," said the virtuous
youth; " but I can't permit it.

"What will you do?" I said, with elation.
"I'll say it again if you like."

"Not here, I hope," he said, trembling.

"Yes, here. You're a shabby mean fellow,
and I'll give you satisfaction at any moment,
if you're not a coward."

So public an insult—three other boys of
condition heard it — could not be passed over.
He made the conventional reply, which always
brings on violence: " I'd like to see you do it."

"There is the garden," I said, in a fierce
rapture; " this door opens on it. Buck, here,
and Smith will see fair."

"But my father—"

"Tell its mammy," I retorted, in a fury.

We went out into the cool air. We saw
the bow windows at the back and the grotesque
shadows, and we heard Wicks's " Thrum,
thrum!" The shadows went up and down
as if on wires. We "stood up" to each
other, near a rose-bush, and in our splendid
uniforms. I fell on him like fury, for I had her
wrongs to avenge. In a second I was pounding
at him like a demon. It was plain there would
be only one round, when there came a flash, a
golden amber flash, and a cry; and the captain
had me by the hair, and said:

"Why, you little vicious imp, what are you
at?"

(It was assumed, of course, that I was the
aggressor.)

The bright oval face bent down close to
mine, and the gentle hand was on my arm.