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"Don't you smoke any more?" asked Grace Ferrall of Leila Mortiative, "Oh, that perhaps explains it You're growing positively radiant, you know You'll he wearing a braid and a tuck in your skirt if you go on getting younger"

Leila laughed, colouring up as Plank turned in his chair to look at her closer

"No, it won't rub off, Mr Plank," said Marion coolly, "buta faint spot of colour under her eyes, "is art"

"Pooh! I'm all art!" said Grace "Observe, Mr Plank, that under this beco flush are the sahed that sweet, careless laugh of an adolescent and straightened her boyish figure, pretty head held high, adding: "Kemp won't let me 'improve' myself, or I'd do it"

"You are perfect," said Sylvia, rising froure condoning the exaggeration; "you're sufficiently sweet as you are Good people, if you are ready, ill go through the cere for partners--unless otherwise you decide How say you?"

"I don't care to enter the scramble for a man," cried Grace "If it's to choose, I'd as soon choose Marion"

Plank looked at Leila, who laughed

"All right; choose, then!" said Sylvia "Howard, you're dying, of course, to play with atha"

The ainst Marion and Grace Ferrall

A few moments later the quiet of the library was broken by the butler entering with decanters and ice, and glasses that tinkled frostily

Play began at table Number One on a passed make of no trumps by Sylvia, and at the other table on a doubled and redoubled heart atha's face, and drove the last vestige of lingering thoughtfulness fro it a tense, pallid, and expressionless ed eyes of a woman

Of all the faces there at the two tables, Sylvia's alone had not changed, neither assulare of the ahted, or disa her, partly because she had never perh money and pleasure in the same balance, but kept a ain was fiercest in those who could afford to loseto rule with merciless precision, coldly exacted every penalty that a lapse in his opponents peratha, her teeth set in her nether lip, her eyes like living jewels, answered Quarrier's every signal, interpreted every sign, her play fitting in exactly with his, as though she were his subconscious self balancing the perfectly adjusted mechanism of his body and mind