Having thus performed his duty, he went away to look for Otterburn, being anxious to know how that young man had sped in his wooing. Near the door, however, a man brushed roughly past him with a muttered apology, and Eustace, turning to see whom this ill-bred person could be, found himself face to face with Guy Errington. He was dressed as the Master of Ravenswood, and, in his sombre dress of dark velvet, his high riding boots of black Spanish leather, and his broad sombrero with its drooping white plume of feathers, looked remarkably handsome, though, as Mrs. Dills had remarked, "like a thundercloud in black velvet," such was the gloom of his face. "How are you, Guy?" said his cousin, laying a detaining hand upon the young man's shoulder. "I've been looking for you everywhere." "I've only been here half-an-hour," replied Errington listlessly. "Anything wrong?" "Oh, no I only you've avoided me for the last week or so, and I want to know the reason." "There's no reason that I know of, and I haven't avoided you." As he spoke, his eyes were looking over the heads of the crowd, and in following their gaze. Eustace saw they rested on Cleopatra, who was talking to Major Griff. "Oh, I see the reason," said Eustace coolly, "and a very handsome reason it is." Errington laughed in a sneering manner and made no reply. "I say Guy," remarked Eustace complacently, "isn't it about time you stopped making a fool of yourself?" "I don't understand you." "No? you wish me to speak plainer?" "I do not wish you to speak at all," retorted Errington fiercely, his eyes full of sombre fire. "Our relationship has its privileges, Gartney, but don't take too much advantage of them." He shook off his cousin's hand impatiently, and without another word disappeared in the crowd, leaving Eustace considerably perturbed. "I've done all I can," he muttered disconsolately. "He's bent on going to the devil via Mrs. Veilsturm, so I can't stop him. If I only dared to console his wife, but she's got the boy--that's consolation enough for a piece of ice like her." Meanwhile, Errington, pushing his way through the dancers, made his way to Cleopatra, who, having finished with Griff, was chatting to a young F.O. man. On seeing Errington, she turned towards him with a slight bow, and began to talk, upon which the F.O. went off to find some one else. "Are you not dancing, Sir Guy?" she asked, looking at him brightly. "No, I don't care about it, unless you dance with me." "And what about my duties as hostess?" "I think you've done enough penance for one evening." "Meaning that my reward is to dance with you," she said mischievously. "Thank you, Monsieur." She was more amiable to him this evening than she had been of late. And Guy, feeling the change, thawed wonderfully under the sunshine of her eyes. "Well, am I to have my dance?" he asked, with a smile.