"Why, certainly," she replied with a forced laugh. "I shall not vanish." "I wanted to assure myself of the pleasure. One is easily lost among all these people," he answered lightly, as he turned away. Farr's face darkened. "What right has Maynard to monopolize you?" he demanded savagely. "He is a married man, and not a man----" It was an unwise speech, and he broke off abruptly convicted of his folly by the expression in Jean's unflinching eyes. "You forget that Mr. Maynard is our host, Mr. Farr," she said coldly. After a moment she added more gently: "I did not want you to say anything that you would regret. I should be sorry to hear you speak ill of a friend. It is not like you." The simple words touched Farr, and made him feel ashamed of himself. "I beg your pardon," he said contritely. "I was a brute to speak so. The truth is, I am not myself, and have not been during the whole of this miserable week. I seem never to have the chance to speak with you, and I have tortured myself with the thought that it has been your deliberate purpose to avoid me." The opening bars of the waltz, and Maynard's approach, cut short his words. Slowly the trio forced their way through the moving crowd until they had gained the entrance to the ball-room. Farr stood listlessly in the doorway as Maynard whirled Jean away from him across the polished floor. Some minutes later, someone touched his elbow and he turned with a start to meet Miss Stuart's eyes: "Val, let us dance together 'for auld lang syne.'" "With pleasure," he assented abstractedly, for as she spoke he had caught a glimpse of Jean disappearing through one of the long windows which gave on the veranda. Miss Stuart's glance followed his, and her eyes flashed. The carelessness of his reply hurt her cruelly. "I will make Jean suffer for this," she vowed, as with throbbing heart she took her place among the dancers. Later, as they passed through the doorway, they encountered Jean and Maynard re-entering the room. Miss Stuart first caught sight of them. She raised her glorious eyes to her companion's face, and spoke in a voice carefully pitched to reach Jean's ears: "Yes, indeed, Val, it is pleasant to dance together again. It brings back those bygone happy days so forcibly." They were abreast of the other couple now, and Farr halted. Miss Stuart's speech had quite escaped him, absorbed as he was in watching Jean, so he was entirely unprepared for her reception of him. As he spoke her name she flashed a light impenetrable smile at him, and then deliberately turned away, and he heard her say gayly to the man at her side: "Mr. Maynard, that waltz is divine. Don't let us miss another bar of it." And Maynard answered softly: "Your wish is my law, Miss Jean."