The beautiful Miss Chandos! the fairy Princess! Oh, she must be under some spell of enchantment! This wizened little black monkey-faced woman her mother! These awful half-castes, her sisters! Was he awake or asleep? Salwey and Mrs. Lepell, who were standing close by, understood the scene, and pitied Verona Chandos from the bottom of their hearts. How brave and dignified she was! How high she held her head! One might have supposed that her mother was a duchess. "I am awfullee glad your pony won," said Nicky, in his Chee-chee accent. "O-ah, my! he ees a good pony!" His civil congratulation broke the ice, and Captain Haig recovered sufficiently to say: "Thank you; had you any money on?" "Oh, no-ah! oh, my, no-ah," protested Mrs. Chandos. "Poor boy, he does not bet. Are you staying here?" she continued. "No?" "Just for the races," he stammered. "Oh, then you must come out and dine with us, and just take us as we arre. We live at Manora. Now you must not make _any_ excuse"--here she put her head on one side and nodded in a manner intended to be fascinating--and which, once upon a time, had produced a gratifying result! "I am engaged to-night, thank you," he answered stiffly. "Arl right, then, to-morrow. Come to tiffin to-morrow--you see I will not let you off." "But there are races again to-morrow, you know." "My! my! so there arre. Well, the day after tomorrow is Sunday--and there are no races; and if you do not come to tiffin, I am sure Verona"--here she glanced at the rigid face on her left--"will be awfully offended. You come--and bring a friend." "Then, thank you, I will come on Sunday. There is the saddling bell, I really must go!" and in another moment Captain Haig had effected his escape. When next he caught sight of Salwey, he went straight up to him and began: "Good God! I never got such a shock in my life! You are an old friend, and I think you might have prepared me; I have just had a three-finger peg of whisky and soda, and even with that I feel completely knocked out of time. To think of that girl being a half-caste! It seems impossible! What awful people! Why, her mother is as dark as an ayah! Who are they?" "Her father is in the sugar works at Manora--he was in the cavalry, and----" "See it all," interrupted Haig; "got into a scrape, married a half-caste--fired out of the Service--social collapse." "I presume you are not _now_ contemplating taking a month's leave at Rajahpore," remarked Salwey, with dry significance. "Seen the family?" "Don't rub it in, Salwey, you savage! You cannot understand what a fearful blow I've just had." He really looked as white and shaken as if he had recently had a fall. "You don't want to meet Miss Verona again?" "Oh, I wish to God I'd never seen her at all!" he groaned.