This was the amount of Hester's wisdom and
penetration, but it satisfied Pierce to the full.
He glowed and sighed, and became more humble,
more doubtful of himself, in his speech.

"You have not seen my rival, little Hester,"
he said, deprecatingly; " and you must not
imagine him an uncouth mountaineer, with great
coarse hands, and a brogue. Sir Archie is a
travelled gentleman, wiser, better, more clever
than I am. And he has a castle many hundred
years old; and he has money at his bankers;
and he has rare woods and mountains on his
beautiful estate. Heigho!"

"All that makes no matter," said Hester.

"You are the pearl of comforters," said
Pierce; " but these things make all the matter
in tlie world. I am ashamed to confess that I
have thought of them myself," he said,
hesitating, and looking a little sheepish. " I knew
that Janet was rich, and that I wanted money.
But I would give all the money to you, little
Hester, or to any one else, if she would marry
me to-morrow;—and we could do the house-
keeping on air," he added, ruefully, as if
remembering how little hope there was of his ever
being able to put his genuine feelings to the
proof.

Now, soon after this arrived the very
moment when Fate took up that puzzle of Lady
Humphrey's, shook it into perfect shape, and
dropped it in her lap.

I never could clearly understand how it was
suffered to happen that Hester got separated
from her party that night. The story runs
thus, as far as it goes. Hester was thirsty,
from the heat of the place, and the intentness of
her listening. Pierce, after gleaning up every
atom of sympathy and advice which she could
ransack for him out of her heart and brain,
responded to her complaint by rushing off
gratefully to seek some lemonade for her refreshment.
He placed her in the corner of a small
dimly lighted room, where only a few people
were wandering in and out. He ought to have
taken her to his mother, no doubt; but then—
where was his mother at the time? Besides, he
was too careless, and Hester too ignorant, to
think of the danger of separation in the crowd.
He bade her not move till he should return.

And I am willing to believe that he intended
to return with all speed, for Pierce was in the
main a true-hearted lad, and he loved little
Hester, after a fashion. But the history of his
adventures in the meantime is obscure. Did
he get into a quarrel with the confectioner?
Did he also feel thirsty, after his talking, and
drink just one glass of wine too many for his
memory, so that he could not find the room to
which he was bound to return? Or did he
stray into a place where they were gaming, and
linger a moment, only to see how the play was
going; perhaps to get mixed up in it himself?
Any or all of these escapades were possible to
the young man at this time of his life. But
that he was humble and contrite for his
mistake next day is all that we are permitted to
understand.

In the meantime the rest of the cards having
been dealt about the rooms, Lady Humphrey
and Mr. Campion followed their own will from
place to place, keeping watch over that before-
mentioned sober-looking figure. That this
person was unconscious of observation Lady
Humphrey had the best means of knowing.
Had he once recognised her he would have
approached her immediately, and greeted her
with outstretched hand. But his thoughts
did not seem busy with this company. He was
a grave-looking man, about thirty-five years
old, tall, slender for his height, but well-built,
and stately. One might say, without much
extravagance, that there was a sort of majesty
in the motions of his figure, as he carried the
long gown about his shoulders and limbs. His
hair was a very dark red, as if the ruddy
tresses of some sanguine ancestor were
struggling to shine out through the duskier locks
which nature had intended him to wear. His
features were of the eagle cast, yet I warrant
you there was nothing hard nor sharp in the
countenance of Sir Archie Munro. Keen it
might be, and bold and firm, for there was
mental strength and nerve in every latent
expression of his face; but the brave blue eyes
knew well how to break into a smile, and the
lips to relax into softness.

Sir Archie, watching for some one with
anxiety, waited and was disappointed, waited
still and was still disappointed. Lady
Humphrey and Mr. Campion followed and lingered,
and wondered and grew impatient. "Was the
man really more conscious of their presence
and their motives than he would seem? Was
he playing with them, tricking them; would
he presently laugh at the useless cunning with
which they had laid this little plan, the feeble
effort they had put forth in it, and the hidden
irritation with which its failure must harass
them. Even Mr. Campion could not deny that
this was possible in a treacherous world. But
even while Mr. Campion's face was lengthening,
a little black imp came tumbling up the
room.

This young monster had flames shooting out
of the top of his head, as well as other hellish
adornments, and looked, for the credit of those
who had so blackened and bedaubed him, a
very worthy little scion of the house of Satan.
The crowd parted with much laughter as he
came whirling along wildly, spinning round and
round on his hands and his toes, like a young
acrobat. He had the awkwardness, or the ill-
luck, or the cleverness, to trip over Sir Archie's
feet and fall. That gentleman immediately
bent down with the impulse of a humane man,
alarmed lest the boy might be hurt. The little
devil had seemingly a human perception of
pain, was not proof against a bruise or a scrape,
for he caught the good gentleman's arm, and
held on by his hand while he groaned, and
twisted, and whimpered, and rubbed his legs.
And while this absurd scene was going on Sir
Archie's palm became suddenly acquainted with
a very slim morsel of folded paper, which