dinner." Sir Robert, who had discovered within the last few days exactly where Mr. David Thain stood amongst the list of American multi-millionaires, drew this very distinguished person a little on one side to ask about a railway. Then the Marquis made his appearance, and immediately afterwards the remaining guests. David Thain, of whom many of the morning papers, during the last few days, had found something to say, found himself almost insinuated into the position of favoured guest. He took Mrs. Honeywell--a dark and rather tired-looking lady--in to dinner, but he sat at Letitia's left hand, and she gave him a good deal of her attention. "You know everybody, don't you, Mr. Thain?" she asked him, soon after they had taken their places. "Except the gentleman on your right," he answered. She leaned towards him confidentially. "His name," she whispered, "is Lord Charles Grantham. He is the son of the Duke of Leicester, who is, between ourselves, almost as wicked a duke as my father is a marquis. Fortunately, however, his mother left him a fortune. Do you notice how thoughtful he looks?" David Thain glanced across the table at the young man in question, who was exchanging rather weary monosyllables with his right-hand neighbour. "He is perhaps overworked?" Letitia shook her head. "Not at all. He cannot make up his mind whether or not he wants to marry me." "And can you make up your mind whether you wish to marry him?" Letitia lost for a moment her air of gentle banter. "What a downright question!" she observed. "However, I can't tell you before I answer him, can I, and he hasn't asked me yet." "I should think," David Thain said coolly, "that you would make an excellent match." Their eyes met for a moment. There was a challenging light in hers to which he instantly responded. Her very beautiful white teeth closed for a moment upon her lower lip. Then she smiled upon him once more. "It is so reassuring," she murmured, "to be told things like that by people who are likely to know. Charles, talk to me at once," she went on, turning towards him. "Mr. Thain and I agree far too perfectly upon everything." Thain was deep in conversation with his neighbour before Lord Charles was able to disentangle himself from the conversational artifices of the Duchess. Letitia took note of his aptness with a little, malicious smile. It was towards the close of dinner when she once more turned towards him. "Have you been telling Mrs. Honeywell how you made all your millions?" she asked. "I have been trying to point out," he replied, "that the first million is all one has to make. The rest comes." "What a delightful country!" Letitia observed. "If I were to borrow from all my friends and collected a million, do you think I could go out there and become a multi-millionaire?" 

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