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American Sunday Monthly Magazine Section two-step Freddy Burgoyne had begun at the piano, I heard Algernon whisper to her fiercely as he helped her up: ‘‘Pull yourself together this minute, darling -or I'll make you— before them all.” 11 is face was savage, and yet full of pas sionate admiration — for any thing so superbly beautiful as the lovely creature looked, pouting there on the floor and then laughing and showing all her white teeth, I cannot im agine. The whole scene was one of horrible pain, and I determined to escape from it, so pleading the desire also for air I got Lord Catesby to take me up on deck. There we found Hugh and Letitia pac ing up and down wrapped in thick coats in the wind. After a minute or two, we four went back into the deck house, and from below could hear the sounds of wild laughter, and now the rattle of castanets. Evidently the fun and dancing were still go ing on. Then presently, flush ed and panting, Kathleen and t he t hrec young men and Lang- thorpe appeared at the bottom of the companion. “I tell you, 1 am not in the least afraid,” we heard her say. “ 1 shall go with you to-morrow to Southampton, Algernon, in your 1-ire Queen. That jolly Neptune will look after us, and we will show these old frumps how fast we can rush along. I will be ready at half-past twelve sharp on the steps by the pier-then we can get a better start in that long piece of smooth water,” and her mocking laugh rang out. Hugh rose from his seat and stood on the top of the stair. “ I simply won’t allow you to go in this weather, Kathleen,” he said sternly. " It is dangerous enough for Algernon alone, but with the responsibility of another passenger —it is sheer madness—and re member you cannot swim.” She looked up wickedly at him. “Don’t flatter yourself I shall pay the slightest attention to your commands, old fidgety darling,” she laughed. “It is a fine time of day for you to begin taking an interest in me.” Hugh got very pale, and his face hardened into stone. “I absolutely forbid you to go—do you hear?” he said, icily. “Algernon, I request you to help me by refusing to take her —you know the danger yourself.” Algernon murmured something in a rather inso lent tone, the actual words of which I could not hear, and Letitia, with her usual tact, diverted the ugly situation by asking if the lemon squashes were in the saloon; and so a general move there was made, and when I got close to Algernon I whispered my entreaties to him not to think of starting to-morrow if the sea was as rough as it is to-night—but he only laughed in my face, and answered: “ Really, Mother, you are all such a set of wretched old mollycoddles; I wonder you don’t suggest my running an old paddle boat thank goodness, Kath leen is not like you; she has got some pluck.” There was nothing more to be said, 1 saw, but as I do not think Kathleen will dare to really disobey Hugh, Algernon may decide to stay with her and not start alone. 1 must comfort myself with that. Hugh and I had hardly exchanged a single word, but when we said good night a little while later, he held my hand for an instant, and he whispered: “I hope you think, Guinevere, that I bear it as well as I can.” And now 1 am wide awake, sleep will not come— the hideous picture of Hugh’s unhappiness is haunt ing me, and the defiance on the face of my son. What will the morrow bring, only trouble of some sort even if they do not go in the I'irc Queen—all is at such tension 1 feel it in the air, and Letitia has not come to chat with me in my cabin, as is her wont. She too, is oppressed with the dreadful situation, although I hope she does not guess the deeper meaning which 1 know. (Continued on pngc 12) her wishes. She bargained for money and freedom, and she has had them. Hardly anything remains of the actual things we planted together, you and 1, Guinevere, except the vine — the grapes on it are splendid, as I told you they would be.” “1 know it all scorches, Hugh,” I faltered, “but in the big pain the smaller ones are swallowed up; we must try not to feel the lesser hurts any longer.” He looked down at me so tenderly, his dear blue eyes seeking mine for comfort as one who is starving from long abstinence, and then he spoke again: “When I sit alone in my sitting-room in the evenings she never enters there, thank Heaven!- I seem to realize more clearly than ever how perfect you were, dear love. All your understanding of me your indulgence toward my selfishnesses, your sympathy, your comprehension, your untiring thought for me and your devotion -How I ordered you about! And how utterly sweet and always loving you were. Ah! there is no other woman so gentle and tender in the world, Guinevere. You never once crossed my wishes or were anything but fond and submissive, with that submission which seems as though it were lavishing that which its own self desires to give. I sit there in the big leather chair and think of it all. Do you remember you sat in it sometimes, Be loved One, and I sat by your knees on the low seat and you stroked my hair? And often 1 seem to feel with a quiver the touch of your soft fingers, and it stabs afresh my heart. We always talked then of the ten- derest, most beautiful things, darling, drink ing in each other’s souls.” We dined together on the Hermione, our whole party in honor of Hugh’s arriv al. In our walk back to the gardens, I had tried to speak of lighter things to hide the agony in my heart — and we had talked of Bransdale and what Hugh had done there, and then we joined Letitia again sitting now in her usual chair by the tree on the steep, sloping lawn above the landing stage—and Hugh went off in his launch in the rough water. The two yachts were lying very close together, or I do not think we could have ventured to have gone to dine; the incessant storms which have blasted this summer are still going on. We were quite splashed with spray even in our hooded elec tric launch and glad to be hoisted on board. Kathleen was in full evening dress—a most daring arrangement of skin-tight twisted draperies, show ing every line of her glorious figure. She looked the incarnation of voluptuous young womanhood, and the spirit of her great-grandmother seemed strong in her to-night; she flashed her eyes and undulated in her movements with a perpetual sug gestion of cakewalk, which she pretended was caused by the rolling of the yacht, until Algernon whispered something to her, a peremptory, passionate order, and then she was still, throwing herself among the cushions on the sofa in the deckhouse where some of us were sitting; the party was too large for us all to be there, so the rest had gone below. Here she pouted and sulked until dinner was announced, and we all went down. Hugh had not yet appeared from his cabin, but joined us in the saloon. 1 had not seen him and Kathleen together since that day in February at lunch at Minton Dremont, except in church when they could not speak, and I saw at once that the situation between them was more than ever strained. She spent the time in hurling ceaseless jibes at him, or in whispering jokes to Henry Germaine who was on her left hand,—and making everyone at the table hideously uncomfort able, while my son’s eyes blazed with furious passion, and I knew that the devil was in them both. Hugh behaved with great dignity, apparently tak ing not the slightest notice of her, but confining his conversation to Letitia who sat on his right hand— and I, who was on his left, devoted my whole atten tion to Freddy Burgoyne. Thus the dinner went on and ended and then Kathleen said she meant to dance she had just learned the tango and she must teach it to Algernon and Henry Germaine. Then Kathleen sat on the table and dangled her feet. The movement of the ship was not very great but she made the most of it She has had a player attachment put on to Hugh’s old piano, and she insisted upon Langthorpe sitting down and playing it, while she gyrated about sway ing her hips, in the rather limited space in the centre of the saloon. The dining table is at the side, and behind it on the sofa Letitia and Hugh and I still sat with Lord Catesby, while Freddy Burgoyne stood clapping his hands to keep time. It is ridiculous for people to be disapproving or shocked at the ways of this age—and youth must have its expression, but never at any theatre have I seen anything so alluringly wicked, or unmistak ably suggestive, as was the dancing of Kathleen, while she practised her tango with First Henry and then Algernon. My son’s eyes swam with passion, and Hugh’s face was very pale, and had on it an expression of hideous disgust, and he steadily averted his gaze. Then, when the fun was at its height, he rose and asking Letitia if she would not like some air, went with her out of the door and up to the deck house. At this, Kathleen turned and made a face at his retreating figure, like a naughty street child, and Lord Catesby, frowning and red with chagrin, got up and said something in her ear. But her temper was evidently too excited to be calmed. “Why don’t you go to the deck house, too, then, Papa!” she cried aloud, “and join my precious hus band if you don’t like our fun. Lord Langthorpe’s the only darling old man 1 have ever known!” Algernon looked uncomfortable—he hates her to be in this mood, 1 amid plainly see—he interposed here, and suggested that Langthorpe might be tired of playing, and that some lemon squashes would be a good thing. Then Kathleen sat on the table and dangled her feet. The movement of the ship was not very great, but she made the most of it, and pretended to slip off on to the floor—and while I answered Lord Catesby in the general din of a new