"Seven minutes late," said Lord Charles, glancing up at the clock as they passed. "We must chalk that up to Lady Lenore. I admire and envy her courage, don't you, Miss Etheridge? I should no more dare to be late for dinner at Wyndward than--than--what's the most audacious thing you can think of?" Stella smiled; there was something catching in the light-hearted, frank, and free tones of the young viscount. "Standing on a sofa in muddy boots has always been my idea of a great social crime," she said. He laughed approvingly, and his laugh seemed to float lightly through the quiet room. "That's good--that's awfully good!" he said, with intense enjoyment. "Standing on a sofa--that's awfully good! Must tell Leycester that! Did you ever do it, by the way?" "Never," said Stella, gravely, but with a smile. "No!" he said. "Do you know I think you are capable of it if you were provoked?" "Provoked?" said Stella. "Dared, I mean," he explained. "You know we used to have a game at school called 'Dare him?' I expect all fellows have played it. One fellow does the most extraordinary things and dares the other fellows to do it. Leycester used to play it best. He was a regular good hand at it. The worst of it was that we all used to get thrashed; the masters didn't care about half-a-dozen fellows flinging stones at the windows and climbing on to the roof at the dead of night." "Poor masters!" said Stella. He laughed. "Yes, they didn't have a particularly fine time of it when Leycester was at school." As he spoke, he glanced at the tall figure of Lord Leycester in front of them with an admiring air such as a school-boy might wear. "There isn't much that Leycester wouldn't dare," he said. They entered the dining-room, a large room lined with oak and magnificently furnished, in which the long table with its snowy cloth, and glittering plate and glass, shone out conspicuously. Lord Guildford found no difficulty in discovering their seats, each place being distinguished by a small tablet bearing the name of the intended occupant. As Stella took her seat, she noticed a beautiful bouquet beside her serviette, and saw that one was placed for every lady in the room. A solemn, stately butler, who looked like a bishop, stood beside the earl's chair, and with a glance and a slight movement of his hand directed the noiseless footmen. A clergyman said grace, and the dinner commenced. Stella, looking round, saw that her uncle was seated near Lady Wyndward, and that Lady Lenore was opposite herself. She looked round for Lord Leycester, and was startled to hear his voice at her left. He was speaking to Lady Longford. As she turned to look at him she happened to catch Lady Wyndward's eye also fixed upon him with a strange expression, and wondered what it meant; the next moment she knew, for, bending his head and looking straight before him, he said-- "Do you like your flowers?"