Then to beguile the time, he produced some glass marbles from his pocket, aiming at the salt-cellar, where his friend Jacynth fielded and sent them back. With her arm around her son, Fenella was chatting animatedly to De Mürger, rejoicing inwardly in her immense superiority over her opposite foes in possessing Ronny. A vagrant ball escaping the latter’s fingers, cannoned off a dish and flew straight into madame’s lap. With a secret honeyed glance at Ronny, she feigned to detain it. “No, you mustn’t! That would be stealing, and then you would be put in prison,” remonstrated the child. Then looking at her with the sweet familiarity of one of Raphael’s cherubs, “_Were you ever in prison?_” Mme. de Vigny, who was just lifting a full glass of claret to her lips, started, so that some wine was spilt. She raised her delicate brows, with a glance of charming dismay at Onslow’s gloomy face. Castleton and Jacynth, noticing the accident, exchanged furtive, surprised looks. But Ronny, no more heeding that red splash than if he had slopped over his glass of milk, announced in joyous tones, “Because I was--very nearly. Grandison and me were very naughty once, and his nurse tried to give us to a p’leeceman, but we pulled at her dress so hard she couldn’t; and the p’leeceman shook his finger at me and said, ‘Next time!’--Oh, I say!” Suddenly diving, so that his little body eluded Fenella’s grasp, to her surprise he rushed round the table and flung himself against Frank, who had annexed the truant marble, and was ostentatiously secreting it in his own pocket. “Give it me! It’s mine! You must! Please!” Frank held the treasure nearer, then embracing the boy’s shoulders with one caressing arm, stooped and deliberately kissed the sweet, childish face. “Take it, there. Why, you will soon be old enough to go to school.” Raising his head, he looked straight at Fenella with such defiance that the wrathful jealousy, boiling within her at so flagrant a show of authority, suddenly cooled. With a shiver at the warning, she nevertheless had spirit to retort with cool, decisive command: “Ronny, come here. You must stay by me, dear, and not go to--other people.” Then she rustled from the table with superb displeasure at Frank’s unwarrantable liberty. Both De Mürger and Jacynth sprang up, too, in quick rivalry, as her bodyguard. They were soon followed by Castleton, who found it poor fun to watch only Onslow’s lowering face, and Jezebel, as he secretly politely designated Mme. de Vigny. Before the hotel door the night was still and cool; stars had begun to twinkle in the “blue vaults, magnificently deep.” “So you have to suffer such insults,” De Mürger impetuously whispers in Fenella’s ear. “Let me avenge you. Ah! you did right to send for me.”