A Bottle in the Smoke

ndah, and duly excluded the strengthening sun-rays from the rooms under his charge. It was therefore something of

a bunched-up mystery of white muslin reclining in a dark room; and here you are basking

ant smile, coming forward from the writing-table where she

rst welcome to

at you were on your way. But did you not meet my

r than was expected, and I, with one of my fellow-passengers, drove at once to

verybody stays with everybody here, you kn

exaltation, I felt when our steamer all at once stood still, and I looked out in the first flush of the dawn and saw the amber sands and the long straggling arms of th

Should she break the ice at once and give a timely caution to her old friend and comrade that he must not label himself as belonging to the community said to be so despi

y. "Our peon can fetch your luggage; you needn't even g

then, by the way, I believe I'm inveigled into an engagement for the afternoon. The Brigadi

et Alfred there. Then surely we'll be allowed to take po

d to Puranapore, if you know such a place. My knowledge of it dates only from this morning.

rd of Puranapore. Alfred

will be able to tell me

e an old Indian now. You and I are 'griffins,' as they call new-com

sea-and to the centre of it all to the girl, the ivy-clad Pinkthorpe Rectory set amid its

latest news, for he had paid a brief

as I saw you when I came in. It will go into my letter which I promised to write to your mother

rmidable leader of society here. Alfred has the greatest admiration for her, thinks her a perfect model for

would not model herself on any Mrs. Glanton, however much her husband might wish it,

which had been waiting under a tree was called, and th

of the morning still haunted her. Should she have ventured to sound the warning note, struck no doubt from her husband's larger experience, and would it have been wiser to do so even before he began his life in the East? She had friendship enough to do so. Had they not ridden together along leafy Worcest

eir meeting him now and of his returning with them; but she observed that her husband listened absently to the news. His preoccupation regarding the coming entertainment caused her some surprise. Social functions of the kind

n Mr. and Mrs. Rayner's landau took its place there; but at last it came to their turn to alight and follow

ntersected by winding walks. The mellow light of the late afternoon sun tinged all the landscape, turning to gold the graceful over-hanging palms, revealing gl

s well represented. Red coats mingled picturesquely with the smart feminine toilettes just emerged from the latest box from home. The groups on the lawn vied with t

were announced by a white-robed peon. Mrs. Glanton received the young bride gr

athering," remarked Alfred Rayner

derstand, Mr. Rayner, the question of who will meet and mix cordially is always a thorny business, and after all the fatigue of entertaining, one

puzzled expression, but her

morning I was explaining to my wife the Scyl

too early, one avoids shoals of quicksands later on. Oh, the tales I could tell! And now you will understand how plea

the daughter of the house, strolling up and l

as all the experience of her first season to share with you, and you, my dear, have your home complexion

ed that indefinable air of youth which made Hester's chief charm. There was certainly no symptom of the "close friendship" between the two, and the girl's thin lips curled with a faint cynical smi

inton, archery, and croquet made up for the moment. But there will be some movement soon. You are devoted to croquet, I recoll

ng and invited to join our party, charging me to entertain him too," remarked C

-here is Mark Cheveril,"

, that is his name. Wherever has my mother dis

ords, on Miss Glanton's side marked by studied graciousness, Mark turned to greet again his old friend with a bright smile; while, with an air o

t it was then your name was familiar to me! I remember your face perfec

Cheveril, though I do remember some-of your talk." "Too well,"

wondering what of his childish prattle still lingered in the mind of this sharp-loo

bow: "Glad to hear you are to be our guest at Clive's Road to-nigh

ean to permit more talk between two male guests, espec

er appeared, evidently with the intention of joining Miss Glanton. Divining Hes

Lady's Companion' to a housewife. He knows everybody and everything about everybody. I

l air. Then turning to his new charge, he piloted her towards the refreshment tent, which seemed to be the centre of popularity at the mome

olitely, as they left the tent. "I see there is no chance of entering the croquet lists at this moment." He glanced towards the lawn where more than one game was now in pro

the home-lawns, but she did not feel i

l among the shrubberies,

old friend, and to have the pleasure of seeing them welding together. But that would come later. She turned with gracious courtesy t

I have seen nothing like this at home, and I don't think there were

in-Chief honours the gathering, that it is de rigueur to don our war-paint. Glad you think it so attractive! The younger men are getting lazy and prefer mufti when they can get off with it.

he crimson strip to greet the hostess, his refined face lit up

. Glanton will be gratified. Very good of him to come, he is a weary man

of soldiers they l

e spinning-top we had, who couldn't get on his horse without his syce's back for a foot-stool, and even when mounted

anced at her rotund companion. They had now reached the shady walks which she had longed to penetrate, and not

longside, separated by thick shrubs. "But, to my mind, she rather overdoes it at times. See how she's captured that 'g

rything-and nothing-when they have a great deal of entertaining to

majority. Very pretty in you, however, to set it down to kindness and that sort of thing-wish we had more of the bloom of charity amon

han she had been used to think quite in good taste, though she could not help feeling half amused by the

ved at a little distance a lady to whom she had dra

ent at Royapooram," assented Major Ryde, showing in hi

major, perceiving that his tête-à-tête was now interru