"Where is your piper, Sir Keith?" said Lady Beauregard. "At this moment," said he, "I should not wonder if he was down at the shore, waiting for me." "You are going away quite soon, then?" "To-morrow. But I don't wish to speak of it. I should like to-night to last forever." Lady Beauregard was interrupted by her neighbor. "What has pleased you, then, so much?" said his hostess, looking up at him. "London? Or the people in it? Or any one person in it?" "Oh," he said, laughingly, "the whole thing. What is the use of dissecting? It is nothing but holiday making in this place. Now, Miss Rawlinson, are you brave? Won't you challenge the admiral to drink a glass of wine with you? And you must include his companion--just as they do at the city dinners--and I will join you too." And so these old sweethearts drank to each other. And Macleod raised his glass too; and Miss White lowered her eyes, and perhaps flushed a little as she touched hers with her lips, for she had not often been asked to take a part in this old-fashioned ceremony. But that was not the only custom they revived that evening. After the banquet was over, and the ladies had got some light shawls and gone out into the mild summer night, and when the long marquee was cleared, and the band installed at the farther end, then there was a murmured talk of a minuet. Who could dance it? Should they try it? "You know it?" said Macleod to Miss White. "Yes," said she looking down. "Will you be my partner?" "With pleasure," she answered, but there was some little surprise in her voice which he at once detected. "Oh," said he, "the mother taught me when I was a child. She and I used to have grand dances together. And Hamish he taught me the sword-dance." "Do you know the sword-dance?" she said. "Any one can know it," said he; "it is more difficult to do it. But at one time I could dance it with four of the thickest handled dirks instead of the two swords." "I hope you will show us your skill to-night," she said, with a smile. "Do you think any one can dance the sword-dance without the pipes?" said he, quite simply.