"Well, let's have a game of billiards," said he, dismissing Maud in a way that would have caused the proud Mr. Blithers to reel with indignation.     

       A little later on, at the billiard table, Mrs. King remarked, apropos of nothing and quite out of a clear sky, so to speak:     

       "And she'll do anything her parents command her to do, that's the worst of it."     

       "What are you talking about? It's your shot."     

       "If they order her to marry a title, she'll do it. That's the way she's been brought up, I'm afraid."     

       "Meaning Maud?"     

       "Certainly. Who else? Poor thing, she hasn't a chance in the world, with that mother of hers."     

       "Shoot, please. Mark up six for me, Dank."     

       "Wait till you see her, Bobby."     

       "All right. I'll wait," said he cheerfully.     

       The next day Count Quinnox and King returned from the city, coming up in a private car with Mr. Blithers himself.     

       "I'll have Maud drive me over this afternoon," said Mr. Blithers, as they parted at the station.     

       But Maud did not drive him over that afternoon. The pride, joy and hope of the Blithers family flatly refused to be a party of any such arrangement, and set out for a horse-back ride in a direction that took her as far away from Red Roof as possible.     

       "What's come over the girl?" demanded Mr. Blithers, completely non-plused.       "She's never acted like this before, Lou."     

       "Some silly notion about being made a laughingstock, I gather," said his wife. "Heaven knows I've talked to her till I'm utterly worn out. She says she won't be bullied into even meeting the Prince, much less marrying him. I've never known her to be so pig-headed. Usually I can make her see things in a sensible way. She would have married the duke, I'm sure, if—if you hadn't put a stop to it on 

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