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One fact about Mrs Carstairs he was not slow in discovering With the exception of Iris Wayne and her father, Chloe appeared to be absolutely devoid of friends, even of casual acquaintances The Littlefield people, who had been first surprised, then outraged, by her reappearance a since decided that for theh the Vicar, Mr Carey, successor to the man whose wife had raised the storm in which Chloe Carstairs' barque had come to shipwreck, had called upon her, and endeavoured, in his gentle, courtly fashion, to make her welco his example

That Mrs Carstairs felt her isolation in a social sense Anstice did not believe; but that sheand empty, he felt pretty well assured She was not an accomplished wo the piano, or painting water-colour pictures as did so many of the women ha visited She did not appear to care for needlework, and in spite of the books scattered about the house, he rarely saw her reading; yet all the while he had a feeling that had she desired to shine in any or all of the arts peculiar to wo so

That she ordered her household excellently he knew froliain she was assisted by a staff of superior servants who all, from her personal attendant, the devoted Tochatti, down to the boy who cleaned the knives, worshipped their mistress with a wholehearted affection which held about it a touch of so fanaticism

One day Anstice did find her with a book in her hand; and on venturing to inquire into its contents was informed it was a well-known Treatise on Chess

"Do you play?" he asked, rather astonished, for in coined chess to be almost purely a masculine pastime

"Yes--at least I used to play once," she adah I hope in time I may incite her to learn!"

"I used to play--indifferently--once," Anstice said meditatively; and Chloe looked at him with a faint smile

"Did you? Some day when you are not too busy will you drop in to tea and play a game with me?"

"I'd like to immensely" His tone was sincere, and Chloe's manner warmed ever so little