DAPHNE OR , “ MARRIAGE À LA MODE ”  BY MRS. HUMPHRY WARD  With Illustrations by FRED .  PEGRAM  CASSELL AND COMPANY , LIMITED London , New York , Toronto and Melbourne  1909  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  TO L.C.W.  PART I  “ When all birds else do of their music fail Money 'sthe still-sweet-singing nightingale . ”  DAPHNE , OR “ MARRIAGE À LA MODE ”  CHAPTER I  “ A STIFLING hot day !  ” General Hobson lifted his hat and mopped his forehead indignantly .  “ What on earth this place can be like in June I ca n't conceive !  The tenth of April , and I 'llbe bound the thermometer 'ssomewhere near eighty in the shade .  You never find the English climate playing you these tricks .  ”  Roger Barnes looked at his uncle with amusement .  “ Do n't you like heat , Uncle Archie ?  Ah , but I forgot , it 'sAmerican heat .  ”  “ I like a climate you can depend on , ” said the General , quite conscious that he was talking absurdly , yet none the less determined to talk , by way of relief to some obscure annoyance .  “ Here we are sweltering in this abominable heat , and in New York last week they had a blizzard , and here , even , it was cold enough to give me rheumatism .  The climate 'salways in extremes — like the people .  ”  “ I 'msorry to find you do n't like the States , Uncle Archie .  ”  The young man sat down beside his uncle .  They were in the deck saloon of a steamer which had left Washington about an hour before for Mount Vernon .  Through the open doorway to their left they saw a wide expanse of river , flowing between banks of spring green , and above it thunderous clouds , in a hot blue .  The saloon , and the decks outside , held a great crowd of passengers , of whom the majority were women .  The tone in which Roger Barnes spoke was good-tempered , but quite perfunctory .  Any shrewd observer would have seen that whether his uncle liked the States or not did not in truth matter to him a whit .  “ And I consider all the arrangements for this trip most unsatisfactory , ” the General continued angrily .  “ The steamer 'stoo small , the landing-place is too small , the crowd getting on board was something disgraceful .  They 'llhave a shocking accident one of these days .  And what on earth are all these women here for — in the middle of the day ?  It 'snot a holiday .  ”  “ I believe it 'sa teachers 'excursion , ” said young Barnes absently , his eyes resting on the rows of young women in white blouses and spring hats who sat in close-packed chairs upon the deck — an eager , talkative host .  “ H 'm— Teachers !  ” The General 'stone was still more pugnacious .  “ Going to learn more lies about us , I suppose , that they may teach them to school-children ?  I was turning over some of their school-books in a shop yesterday .  Perfectly abominable !  It 'smonstrous what they teach the children here about what they 'repleased to call their War of Independence .  All that we did was to ask them to pay something for their own protection .  What did it matter to us whether they were mopped up by the Indians , or the French , or not ?  ‘But if you want us to go to all the expense and trouble of protecting you , and putting down those fellows , why , hang it , ’ we said , ‘you must pay some of the bill !  ’ That was all English Ministers asked ; and perfectly right too .  And as for the men they make such a fuss about , Samuel Adams , and John Adams , and Franklin , and all the rest of the crew , I tell you , the stuff they teach American school-children about them is a poisoning of the wells !  Franklin was a man of profligate life , whom I would never have admitted inside my doors !  And as for the Adamses — intriguers — canting fellows !  — both of them .  ”  “ Well , at least you 'llgive them George Washington .  ” As he spoke , Barnes concealed a yawn , followed immediately afterwards by a look of greater alertness , caused by the discovery that a girl sitting not far from the doorway in the crowd outside was certainly pretty .  The red-faced , white-haired General paused a moment before replying , then broke out : “ What George Washington might have been if he had held a straight course I am not prepared to say .  As it is , I do n't hesitate for a moment !  George Washington was nothing more nor less than a rebel — a damned rebel !  And what Englishmen mean by joining in the worship of him I 'venever been able to understand .  ”  “ I say , uncle , take care , ” said the young man , looking round him , and observing with some relief that they seemed to have the saloon to themselves .  “ These Yankees will stand most things , but — ”  “ You need n't trouble yourself , Roger , ” was the testy reply ; “ I am not in the habit of annoying my neighbours .  Well now , look here , what I want to know is , what is the meaning of this absurd journey of yours ?  ”  The young man 'sfrown increased .  He began to poke the floor with his stick .  “ I do n't know why you call it absurd ?  ”  “ To me it seems both absurd and extravagant , ” said the other with emphasis .  “ The last thing I heard of you was that Burdon and Co. had offered you a place in their office , and that you were prepared to take it .  When a man has lost his money and becomes dependent upon others , the sooner he gets to work the better .  ”  Roger Barnes reddened under the onslaught , and the sulky expression of his handsome mouth became more pronounced .  “ I think my mother and I ought to be left to judge for ourselves , ” he said rather hotly .  “ We have n't asked anybody for money yet , Uncle Archie .  Burdon and Co. can have me in September just as well as now ; and my mother wished me to make some friends over here who might be useful to me .  ”  “ Useful to you .  How ?  ”  “ I think that 'smy affair .  In this country there are always openings — things turning up — chances — you ca n't get at home .  ”  The General gave a disapproving laugh .  “ The only chance that 'llhelp you , Roger , at present — excuse me if I speak frankly — is the chance of regular work .  Your poor mother has nothing but her small fixed income , and you have n't a farthing to chuck away on what you call chances .  Why , your passage by the Lucania alone must have cost a pretty penny .  I 'llbet my hat you came first class .  ”  The young man was clearly on the brink of an explosion , but controlled himself with an effort .  “ I paid the winter rate ; and mother , who knows the Cunard people very well , got a reduction .  I assure you , Uncle Archie , neither mother nor I is a fool , and we know quite well what we are about .  ”  As he spoke he raised himself with energy , and looked his companion in the face .  The General , surveying him , was mollified , as usual , by nothing in the world but the youth 'sextraordinary good looks .  Roger Barnes 'sgood looks had been , indeed , from his childhood upwards the distinguishing and remarkable feature about him .  He had been a king among his school-fellows largely because of them , and of the athletic prowess which went with them ; and while at Oxford he had been cast for the part of Apollo in The Eumenides , Nature having clearly designed him for it , in spite of the lamentable deficiencies in his Greek scholarship , which gave his prompters and trainers so much trouble .  Nose , chin , brow , the poising of the head on the shoulders , the large blue eyes , lidded and set with a Greek perfection , the delicacy of the lean , slightly hollow cheeks , combined with the astonishing beauty and strength of the head , crowned with ambrosial curls — these possessions , together with others , had so far made life an easy and triumphant business for their owner .  The “ others , ” let it be noted , however , had till now always been present ; and , chief amongst them , great wealth and an important and popular father .  The father was recently dead , as the black band on the young man 'sarm still testified , and the wealth had suddenly vanished , wholly and completely , in one of the financial calamities of the day .  General Hobson , contemplating his nephew , and mollified , as we have said , by his splendid appearance , kept saying to himself : “ He has n't a farthing but what poor Laura allows him ; he has the tastes of forty thousand a year ; a very indifferent education ; and what the deuce is he going to do ?  ”  Aloud he said :  “ Well , all I know is , I had a deplorable letter last mail from your poor mother .  ”  The young man turned his head away , his cigarette still poised at his lips .  “ Yes , I know — mother 'sawfully down .  ”  “ Well , certainly your mother was never meant for a poor woman , ” said the General , with energy .  “ She takes it uncommonly hard .  ”  Roger , with face still averted , showed no inclination to discuss his mother 'scharacter on these lines .  “ However , she 'llget along all right , if you do your duty by her , ” added the General , not without a certain severity .  “ I mean to do it , sir .  ” Barnes rose as he spoke .  “ I should think we 'regetting near Mount Vernon by this time .  I 'llgo and look .  ”  He made his way to the outer deck , the General following .  The old soldier , as he moved through the crowd of chairs in the wake of his nephew , was well aware of the attention excited by the young man .  The eyes of many damsels were upon him ; and , while the girls looked and said nothing , their mothers laughed and whispered to each other as the young Apollo passed .  Standing at the side of the steamer , the uncle and nephew perceived that the river had widened to a still more stately breadth , and that , on the southern bank , a white building , high placed , had come into view .  The excursionists crowded to look , expressing their admiration for the natural scene and their sense of its patriotic meaning in a frank , enthusiastic chatter , which presently enveloped the General , standing in a silent endurance like a rock among the waves .  “ Is n't it fine to think of his coming back here to die , so simply , when he 'dmade a nation ?  ” said a young girl — perhaps from Omaha — to her companion .  “ Was n't it just lovely ?  ”  Her voice , restrained , yet warm with feeling , annoyed General Hobson .  He moved away , and as they hung over the taffrail , he said with suppressed venom to his companion : “ Much good it did them to be ‘made a nation’ !  Look at their press — look at their corruption — their divorce scandals !  ”  Barnes laughed , and threw his cigarette-end into the swift brown water .  “ Upon my word , Uncle Archie , I ca n't play up to you .  As far as I 'vegone , I like America and the Americans .  ”  “ Which means , I suppose , that your mother gave you some introductions to rich people in New York , and they entertained you ?  ” said the General drily .  “ Well , is there any crime in that ?  I met a lot of uncommonly nice people .  ”  “ And did n't particularly bless me when I wired to you to come here ?  ”  The young man laughed again and paused a moment before replying .  “ I 'malways very glad to come and keep you company , Uncle Archie .  ”  The old General reddened a little .  Privately , he knew very well that his telegram summoning young Barnes from New York had been an act of tyranny — mild , elderly tyranny .  He was not amusing himself in Washington , where he was paying a second visit after an absence of twenty years .  His English soul was disturbed and affronted by a wholly new realisation of the strength of America , by the giant forces of the young nation , as they are to be felt pulsing in the Federal City .  He was up in arms for the Old World , wondering sorely and secretly what the New might do with her in the times to come , and foreseeing an ever-increasing deluge of unlovely things — ideals , principles , manners — flowing from this western civilisation , under which his own gods were already half buried , and would soon be hidden beyond recovery .  And in this despondency which possessed him , in spite of the attentions of Embassies , and luncheons at the White House , he had heard that Roger was in New York , and could not resist the temptation to send for him .  After all , Roger was his heir .  Unless the boy flagrantly misbehaved himself , he would inherit General Hobson 'smoney and small estate in Northamptonshire .  Before the death of Roger 'sfather this prospective inheritance , indeed , had not counted for very much in the family calculations .  The General had even felt a shyness in alluding to a matter so insignificant in comparison with the general scale on which the Barnes family lived .  But since the death of Barnes père , and the complete pecuniary ruin revealed by that event , Roger 'sexpectations from his uncle had assumed a new importance .  The General was quite aware of it .  A year before this date he would never have dreamed of summoning Roger to attend him at a moment 'snotice .  That he had done so , and that Roger had obeyed him , showed how closely even the family relation may depend on pecuniary circumstance .  The steamer swung round to the landing-place under the hill of Mount Vernon .  Again , in disembarkation , there was a crowd and rush which set the General 'stemper on edge .  He emerged from it , hot and breathless , after haranguing the functionary at the gates on the inadequacy of the arrangements and the likelihood of an accident .  Then he and Roger strode up the steep path , beside beds of blue periwinkles , and under old trees just bursting into leaf .  A spring sunshine was in the air and on the grass , which had already donned its “ livelier emerald .  ” The air quivered with heat , and the blue dome of sky diffused it .  Here and there a magnolia in full flower on the green slopes spread its splendour of white or pinkish blossom to the sun ; the great river , shimmering and streaked with light , swept round the hill , and out into a pearly distance ; and on the height the old pillared house with its flanking colonnades stood under the thinly green trees in a sharp light and shade , which emphasised all its delightful qualities — made , as it were , the most of it , in response to the eagerness of the crowd now flowing round it .  Half-way up the hill Roger suddenly raised his hat .  “ Who is it ?  ” said the General , putting up his eyeglass .  “ The girl we met last night and her brother .  ”  “ Captain Boyson ?  So it is .  They seem to have a party with them .  ”  The lady whom young Barnes had greeted moved towards the Englishmen , followed by her brother .  “ I did n't know we were to meet to-day , ” she said gaily , with a mocking look at Roger .  “ I thought you said you were bored — and going back to New York .  ”  Roger was relieved to see that his uncle , engaged in shaking hands with the American officer , had not heard this remark .  Tact was certainly not Miss Boyson 'sstrong point .  “ I am sure I never said anything of the kind , ” he said , looking brazenly down upon her ; “ nothing in the least like it .  ”  “ Oh !  oh !  ” the lady protested , with an extravagant archness .  “ Mrs. Phillips , this is Mr. Barnes .  We were just talking of him , were n't we ?  ”  An elderly lady , quietly dressed in grey silk , turned , bowed , and looked curiously at the Englishman .  “ I hear you and Miss Boyson discovered some common friends last night .  ”  “ We did , indeed .  Miss Boyson posted me up in a lot of the people I have been seeing in New York .  I am most awfully obliged to her , ” said Barnes .  His manner was easy and forthcoming , the manner of one accustomed to feel himself welcome and considered .  “ I behaved like a walking ‘Who 'sWho , ’ only I was much more interesting , and did n't tell half as many lies , ” said the girl , in a high penetrating voice .  “ Daphne , let me introduce you to Mr. Barnes .  Mr. Barnes — Miss Floyd ; Mr. Barnes — Mrs. Verrier .  ”  Two ladies beyond Mrs. Phillips made vague inclinations , and young Barnes raised his hat .  The whole party walked on up the hill .  The General and Captain Boyson fell into a discussion of some military news of the morning .  Roger Barnes was mostly occupied with Miss Boyson , who had a turn for monopoly ; and he could only glance occasionally at the two ladies with Mrs. Phillips .  But he was conscious that the whole group made a distinguished appearance .  Among the hundreds of young women streaming over the lawn they were clearly marked out by their carriage and their clothes — especially their clothes — as belonging to the fastidious cosmopolitan class , between whom and the young school-teachers from the West , in their white cotton blouses , leathern belts , and neat short skirts , the links were few .  Miss Floyd , indeed , was dressed with great simplicity .  A white muslin dress , à la Romney , with a rose at the waist , and a black-and-white Romney hat deeply shading the face beneath — nothing could have been plainer ; yet it was a simplicity not to be had for the asking , a calculated , a Parisian simplicity ; while her companion , Mrs. Verrier , was attired in what the fashion-papers would have called a “ creation in mauve .  ” And Roger knew quite enough about women 'sdress to be aware that it was a creation that meant dollars .  She was a tall , dark-eyed , olive-skinned woman , thin almost to emaciation : and young Barnes noticed that while Miss Floyd talked much , Mrs. Verrier answered little , and smiled less .  She moved with a languid step , and looked absently about her .  Roger could not make up his mind whether she was American or English .  In the house itself the crowd was almost unmanageable .  The General 'sire was roused afresh when he was warned off the front door by the polite official on guard , and made to mount a back stair in the midst of a panting multitude .  “ I really cannot congratulate you on your management of these affairs , ” he said severely to Captain Boyson , as they stood at last , breathless and hustled , on the first-floor landing .  “ It is most improper , I may say dangerous , to admit such a number at once .  And , as for seeing the house , it is simply impossible .  I shall make my way down as soon as possible , and go for a walk .  ”  Captain Boyson looked perplexed .  General Hobson was a person of eminence ; Washington had been very civil to him ; and the American officer felt a kind of host 'sresponsibility .  “ Wait a moment ; I 'lltry and find somebody .  ” He disappeared , and the party maintained itself with difficulty in a corner of the landing against the pressure of a stream of damsels , who crowded to the open doors of the rooms , looked through the gratings which bar the entrance without obstructing the view , chattered , and moved on .  General Hobson stood against the wall , a model of angry patience .  Cecilia Boyson , glancing at him with a laughing eye , said in Roger 'sear : “ How sad it is that your uncle dislikes us so !  ”  “ Us ?  What you do mean ?  ”  “ That he hates America so .  Oh , do n't say he does n't , because I 'vewatched him , at one , two , three parties .  He thinks we 'rea horrid , noisy , vulgar people , with most unpleasant voices , and he thanks God for the Atlantic — and hopes he may never see us again .  ”  “ Well , of course , if you 'reso certain about it , there 'sno good in contradicting you .  Did you say that lady 'sname was Floyd ?  Could I have seen her last week in New York ?  ”  “ Quite possible .  Perhaps you heard something about her ?  ”  “ No , ” said Barnes , after thinking a moment .  “ I remember — somebody pointed her out at the opera .  ”  His companion looked at him with a kind of hard amusement .  Cecilia Boyson was only five-and-twenty , but there was already something in her that foretold the formidable old maid .  “ Well , when people begin upon Daphne Floyd , ” she said , “ they generally go through with it .  Ah !  here comes Alfred .  ”  Captain Boyson , pushing his way through the throng , announced to his sister and General Hobson that he had found the curator in charge of the house , who sent a message by him to the effect that if only the party would wait till four o'clock , the official closing hour , he himself would have great pleasure in showing them the house when all the tourists of the day had taken their departure .  “ Then , ” said Miss Floyd , smiling at the General , “ let us go and sit in the garden , and feel ourselves aristocratic and superior .  ”  The General 'sbrow smoothed .  Voice and smile were alike engaging .  Their owner was not exactly pretty , but she had very large dark eyes , and a small glowing face , set in a profusion of hair .  Her neck , the General thought , was the slenderest he had ever seen , and the slight round lines of her form spoke of youth in its first delicate maturity .  He followed her obediently , and they were all soon in the garden again , and free of the crowd .  Miss Floyd led the way across the grass with the General .  “ Ah !  now you will see the General will begin to like us , ” said Miss Boyson .  “ Daphne has got him in hand .  ”  Her tone was slightly mocking .  Barnes observed the two figures in front of them , and remarked that Miss Floyd had a “ very — well — a very foreign look .  ”  “ Not English , you mean ?  — or American ?  Well , naturally .  Her mother was a Spaniard — a South American — from Buenos Ayres .  That 'swhy she is so dark , and so graceful .  ”  “ I never saw a prettier dress , ” said Barnes , following the slight figure with his eyes .  “ It 'sso simple .  ”  His companion laughed again .  The manner of the laugh puzzled her companion , but , just as he was about to put a question , the General and the young lady paused in front , to let the rest of the party come up with them .  Miss Floyd proposed a seat a little way down the slope , where they might wait the half-hour appointed .  That half-hour passed quickly for all concerned .  In looking back upon it afterwards two of the party were conscious that it had all hung upon one person .  Daphne Floyd sat beside the General , who paid her a half-reluctant , half-fascinated attention .  Without any apparent effort on her part she became indeed the centre of the group who sat or lay on the grass .  All faces were turned towards her , and presently all ears listened for her remarks .  Her talk was young and vivacious , nothing more .  But all she said came , as it were , steeped in personality , a personality so energetic , so charged with movement and with action that it arrested the spectators — not always agreeably .  It was like the passage of a train through the darkness , when , for the moment , the quietest landscape turns to fire and force .  The comparison suggested itself to Captain Boyson as he lay watching her , only to be received with an inward mockery , half bitter , half amused .  This girl was always awakening in him these violent or desperate images .  Was it her fault that she possessed those brilliant eyes — eyes , as it seemed , of the typical , essential woman ?  — and that downy brunette skin , with the tinge in it of damask red ?  — and that instinctive art of lovely gesture in which her whole being seemed to express itself ?  Boyson , who was not only a rising soldier , but an excellent amateur artist , knew every line of the face by heart .  He had drawn Miss Daphne from the life on several occasions ; and from memory scores of times .  He was not likely to draw her from life any more ; and thereby hung a tale .  As far as he was concerned the train had passed — in flame and fury — leaving an echoing silence behind it .  What folly !  He turned resolutely to Mrs. Verrier , and tried to discuss with her an exhibition of French art recently opened in Washington .  In vain .  After a few sentences , the talk between them dropped , and both he and she were once more watching Miss Floyd , and joining in the conversation whenever she chose to draw them in .  As for Roger Barnes , he too was steadily subjugated — up to a certain point .  He was not sure that he liked Miss Floyd , or her conversation .  She was so much mistress of herself and of the company , that his masculine vanity occasionally rebelled .  A little flirt !  — that gave herself airs .  It startled his English mind that at twenty — for she could be no more — a girl should so take the floor , and hold the stage .  Sometimes he turned his back upon her — almost ; and Cecilia Boyson held him .  But , if there was too much of the “ eternal womanly ” in Miss Floyd , there was not enough in Cecilia Boyson .  He began to discover also that she was too clever for him , and was in fact talking down to him .  Some of the things that she said to him about New York and Washington puzzled him extremely .  She was , he supposed , intellectual ; but the intellectual women in England did not talk in the same way .  He was equal to them , or flattered himself that he was ; but Miss Boyson was beyond him .  He was getting into great difficulties with her , when suddenly Miss Floyd addressed him :  “ I am sure I saw you in New York , at the opera ?  ”  She bent over to him as she spoke , and lowered her voice .  Her look was merry , perhaps a little satirical .  It put him on his guard .  “ Yes , I was there .  You were pointed out to me .  ”  “ You were with some old friends of mine .  I suppose they gave you an account of me ?  ”  “ They were beginning it ; but then Melba began to sing , and some horrid people in the next box said ‘Hush !  ’ ”  She studied him in a laughing silence a moment , her chin on her hand , then said :  “ That is the worst of the opera ; it stops so much interesting conversation .  ”  “ You do n't care for the music ?  ”  “ Oh , I am a musician !  ” she said quickly .  “ I teach it .  But I am like the mad King of Bavaria — I want an opera-house to myself .  ”  “ You teach it ?  ” he said , in amazement .  She nodded , smiling .  At that moment a bell rang .  Captain Boyson rose .  “ That 'sthe signal for closing .  I think we ought to be moving up .  ”  They strolled slowly towards the house , watching the stream of excursionists pour out of the house and gardens , and wind down the hill ; sounds of talk and laughter filled the air , and the western sun touched the spring hats and dresses .  “ The holidays end to-morrow , ” said Daphne Floyd demurely , as she walked beside young Barnes .  And she looked smiling at the crowd of young women , as though claiming solidarity with them .  A teacher ?  A teacher of music ?  — with that self-confidence — that air as though the world belonged to her !  The young man was greatly mystified .  But he reminded himself that he was in a democratic country where all men — and especially all women — are equal .  Not that the young women now streaming to the steamboat were Miss Floyd 'sequals .  The notion was absurd .  All that appeared to be true was that Miss Floyd , in any circumstances , would be , and was , the equal of anybody .  “ How charming your friend is !  ” he said presently to Cecilia Boyson , as they lingered on the verandah , waiting for the curator , in a scene now deserted .  “ She tells me she is a teacher of music .  ”  Cecilia Boyson looked at him in amazement , and made him repeat his remark .  As he did so , his uncle called him , and he turned away .  Miss Boyson leant against one of the pillars of the verandah , shaking with suppressed laughter .  But at that moment the curator , a gentle , grey-haired man , appeared , shaking hands with the General , and bowing to the ladies .  He gave them a little discourse on the house and its history , as they stood on the verandah ; and private conversation was no longer possible .  CHAPTER II  A SUDDEN hush had fallen upon Mount Vernon .  From the river below came the distant sounds of the steamer , which , with its crowds safe on board , was now putting off for Washington .  But the lawns and paths of the house , and the formal garden behind it , and all its simple rooms upstairs and down , were now given back to the spring and silence , save for this last party of sightseers .  The curator , after his preliminary lecture on the verandah , took them within ; the railings across the doors were removed ; they wandered in and out as they pleased .  Perhaps , however , there were only two persons among the six now following the curator to whom the famous place meant anything more than a means of idling away a warm afternoon .  General Hobson carried his white head proudly through it , saying little or nothing .  It was the house of a man who had wrenched half a continent from Great Britain ; the English Tory had no intention whatever of bowing the knee .  On the other hand , it was the house of a soldier and a gentleman , representing old English traditions , tastes , and manners .  No modern blatancy , no Yankee smartness anywhere .  Simplicity and moderate wealth , combined with culture , — witness the books of the library , — with land-owning , a family coach , and church on Sundays : these things the Englishman understood .  Only the slaves , in the picture of Mount Vernon 'spast , were strange to him .  They stood at length in the death-chamber , with its low white bed , and its balcony overlooking the river .  “ This , ladies , is the room in which General Washington died , ” said the curator , patiently repeating the familiar sentence .  “ It is , of course , on that account sacred to every true American .  ”  He bowed his head instinctively as he spoke .  The General looked round him in silence .  His eye was caught by the old hearth , and by the iron plate at the back of it , bearing the letters G.W. and some scroll work .  There flashed into his mind a vision of the December evening on which Washington passed away , the flames flickering in the chimney , the winds breathing round the house and over the snow-bound landscape outside , the dying man in that white bed , and around him , hovering invisibly , the generations of the future .  The General 'spatriotic mind was not alloyed by any harassing sense of humour ; he therefore firmly reminded himself that no Englishman had a right to think of Washington as anything better than a traitor to his king and country ; yet he admitted that it was perhaps natural that Americans should consider him a great man .  The French window beside the bed was thrown open , and these privileged guests were invited to step on to the balcony .  Daphne Floyd was handed out by young Barnes .  They hung over the white balustrade together .  An evening light was on the noble breadth of river ; its surface of blue and gold gleamed through the boughs of the trees which girdled the house ; blossoms of wild cherry , of dogwood , and magnolia sparkled amid the coverts of young green .  Roger Barnes remarked , with sincerity , as he looked about him , that it was a very pretty place , and he was glad he had not missed it .  Miss Floyd made an absent reply , being in fact occupied in studying the speaker .  It was , so to speak , the first time she had really observed him ; and , as they paused on the balcony together , she was suddenly possessed by the same impression as that which had mollified the General 'sscolding on board the steamer .  He was indeed handsome , the young Englishman !  — a magnificent figure of a man , in height and breadth and general proportions ; and in addition , as it seemed to her , possessed of an absurd and superfluous beauty of feature .  What does a man want with such good looks ?  This was perhaps the girl 'sfirst instinctive feeling .  She was , indeed , a little dazzled by her new companion , now that she began to realise him .  As compared with the average man in Washington or New York , here was an exception — an Apollo !  — for she too thought of the Sun-god .  Miss Floyd could not remember that she had ever had to do with an Apollo before ; young Barnes , therefore , was so far an event , a sensation .  In the opera-house she had been vaguely struck by a handsome face .  But here , in the freedom of outdoor dress and movement , he seemed to her a physical king of men ; and , at the same time , his easy manner — which , however , was neither conceited nor ill-bred — showed him conscious of his advantages .  As they chatted on the balcony she put him through his paces a little .  He had been , it seemed , at Eton and Oxford ; and she supposed that he belonged to the rich English world .  His mother was a Lady Barnes ; his father , she gathered , was dead ; and he was travelling , no doubt , in the lordly English way , to get a little knowledge of the barbarians outside , before he settled down to his own kingdom , and the ways thereof .  She envisaged a big Georgian house in a spreading park , like scores that she had seen in the course of motoring through England the year before .  Meanwhile , the dear young man was evidently trying to talk to her , without too much reference to the gilt gingerbread of this world .  He did not wish that she should feel herself carried into regions where she was not at home , so that his conversation ran amicably on music .  Had she learnt it abroad ?  He had a cousin who had been trained at Leipsic ; was n't teaching it trying sometimes — when people had no ear ?  Delicious !  She kept it up , talking with smiles of “ my pupils ” and “ my class , ” while they wandered after the others upstairs to the dark low-roofed room above the death-chamber , where Martha Washington spent the last years of her life , in order that from the high dormer window she might command the tomb on the slope below , where her dead husband lay .  The curator told the well-known story .  Mrs. Verrier , standing beside him , asked some questions , showed indeed some animation .  “ She shut herself up here ?  She lived in this garret ?  That she might always see the tomb ?  That is really true ?  ”  Barnes , who did not remember to have heard her speak before , turned at the sound of her voice , and looked at her curiously .  She wore an expression — bitter or incredulous — which , somehow , amused him .  As they descended again to the garden he communicated his amusement — discreetly — to Miss Floyd .  “ Did Mrs. Verrier imply that no one who was not a fool could show her grief as Mrs. Washington did ?  That it was , in fact , a sign of being a fool to regret your husband ?  ”  “ Did she say that ?  ” asked Miss Floyd quickly .  “ Not like that , of course , but — ”  They had now reached the open air again , and found themselves crossing the front court to the kitchen-garden .  Daphne Floyd did not wait till Roger should finish his sentence .  She turned on him a face which was grave if not reproachful .  “ I suppose you know Mrs. Verrier 'sstory ?  ”  “ Why , I never saw her before !  I hope I have n't said anything I ought n't to have said ?  ”  “ Everybody knows it here , ” said Daphne slowly .  “ Mrs. Verrier married three years ago .  She married a Jew — a New Yorker — who had changed his name .  You know Jews are not in what we call ‘society’ here .  But Madeleine thought she could do it ; she was in love with him , and she meant to be able to do without society .  But she could n't do without society ; and presently she began to dine out , and go to parties by herself — he urged her to .  Then , after a bit , people did n't ask her as much as before ; she was n't happy ; and her people began to talk to him about a divorce — naturally they had been against her marrying him all along .  He said — as they and she pleased .  Then , one night about a year ago , he took the train to Niagara — of course it was a very commonplace thing to do — and two days afterwards he was found , thrown up by the whirlpool ; you know , where all the suicides are found !  ”  Barnes stopped short in front of his companion , his face flushing .  “ What a horrible story !  ” he said , with emphasis .  Miss Floyd nodded .  “ Yes , poor Madeleine has never got over it .  ”  The young man still stood riveted .  “ Of course Mrs. Verrier herself had nothing to do with the talk about divorce ?  ”  Something in his tone roused a combative instinct in his companion .  She , too , coloured , and drew herself up .  “ Why should n't she ?  She was miserable .  The marriage had been a great mistake .  ”  “ And you allow divorce for that ?  ” said the man , wondering .  “ Oh , of course I know every State is different , and some States are worse than others .  But , somehow , I never came across a case like that — first hand — before .  ”  He walked on slowly beside his companion , who held herself a little stiffly .  “ I do n't know why you should talk in that way , ” she said at last , breaking out in a kind of resentment , “ as though all our American views are wrong !  Each nation arranges these things for itself .  You have the laws that suit you ; you must allow us those that suit us .  ”  Barnes paused again , his face expressing a still more complete astonishment .  “ You say that ?  ” he said .  “ You !  ”  “ And why not ?  ”  “ But — but you are so young !  ” he said , evidently finding a difficulty in putting his impressions .  “ I beg your pardon — I ought not to talk about it at all .  But it was so odd that — ”  “ That I knew anything about Mrs. Verrier 'saffairs ?  ” said Miss Floyd , with a rather uncomfortable laugh .  “ Well , you see , American girls are not like English ones .  We do n't pretend not to know what everybody knows .  ”  “ Of course , ” said Roger hurriedly ; “ but you would n't think it a fair and square thing to do ?  ”  “ Think what ?  ”  “ Why , to marry a man , and then talk of divorcing him because people did n't invite you to their parties .  ”  “ She was very unhappy , ” said Daphne stubbornly .  “ Well , by Jove !  ” cried the young man , “ she does n't look very happy now !  ”  “ No , ” Miss Floyd admitted .  “ No. There are many people who think she 'llnever get over it .  ”  “ Well , I give it up .  ” The Apollo shrugged his handsome shoulders .  “ You say it was she who proposed to divorce him ?  — yet when the wretched man removes himself , then she breaks her heart !  ”  “ Naturally she did n't mean him to do it in that way , ” said the girl with impatience .  “ Of course you misunderstood me entirely !  — entirely !  ” she added with an emphasis which suited with her heightened colour and evidently ruffled feelings .  Young Barnes looked at her with embarrassment .  What a queer , hot-tempered girl !  Yet there was something in her which attracted him .  She was graceful even in her impatience .  Her slender neck , and the dark head upon it , her little figure in the white muslin , her dainty arms and hands — these points in her delighted an honest eye , quite accustomed to appraise the charms of women .  But , by George !  she took herself seriously , this little music teacher .  The air of wilful command about her , the sharpness with which she had just rebuked him , amazed and challenged him .  “ I am very sorry if I misunderstood you , ” he said , a little on his dignity ; “ but I thought you — ”  “ You thought I sympathised with Mrs. Verrier ?  So I do ; though of course I am awfully sorry that such a dreadful thing happened .  But you 'llfind , Mr. Barnes , that American girls — ” The colour rushed into her small olive cheeks .  “ Well , we know all about the old ideas , and we know also too well that there 'sonly one life , and we do n't mean to have that one spoilt .  The old notions of marriage — your English notions , ” cried the girl facing him — “ make it tyranny !  Why should people stay together when they see it 'sa mistake ?  We say everybody shall have their chance .  And not one chance only , but more than one .  People find out in marriage what they could n't find out before , and so — ”  “ You let them chuck it just when they 'retired of it ?  ” laughed Barnes .  “ And what about the — ”  “ The children ?  ” said Miss Floyd calmly .  “ Well , of course , that has to be very carefully considered .  But how can it do children any good to live in an unhappy home ?  ”  “ Had Mrs. Verrier any children ?  ”  “ Yes , one little girl .  ”  “ I suppose she meant to keep her ?  ”  “ Why , of course .  ”  “ And the father did n't care ?  ”  “ Well , I believe he did , ” said Daphne unwillingly willingly .  “ Yes , that was very sad .  He was quite devoted to her .  ”  “ And you think that 'sall right ?  ” Barnes looked at his companion , smiling .  “ Well , of course , it was a pity , ” she said , with fresh impatience ; “ I admit it was a pity .  But then , why did she ever marry him ?  That was the horrible mistake .  ”  “ I suppose she thought she liked him .  ”  “ Oh , it was he who was so desperately in love with her .  He plagued her into doing it .  ”  “ Poor devil !  ” said Barnes heartily .  “ All right , we 'recoming .  ”  The last words were addressed to General Hobson , waving to them from the kitchen-garden .  They hurried on to join the curator , who took the party for a stroll round some of the fields over which George Washington , in his early married life , was accustomed to ride in summer and winter dawns , inspecting his negroes , his plantation , and his barns .  The grass in these southern fields was already high ; there were shining fruit-trees , blossom-laden , in an orchard copse ; and the white dogwood glittered in the woods .  For two people to whom the traditions of the place were dear , this quiet walk through Washington 'sland had a charm far beyond that of the reconstructed interior of the house , Here were things unaltered and unalterable , boundaries , tracks , woods , haunted still by the figure of the young master and bridegroom who brought Patsy Curtis there in 1759. To the grey-haired curator every foot of them was sacred and familiar ; he knew these fields and the records of them better than any detail of his own personal affairs ; for years now he had lived in spirit with Washington , through all the hours of the Mount Vernon day ; his life was ruled by one great ghost , so that everything actual was comparatively dim .  Boyson too , a fine soldier and a fine intelligence , had a mind stored with Washingtoniana .  Every now and then he and the curator fell back on each other 'scompany .  They knew well that the others were not worthy of their opportunity ; although General Hobson , seeing that most of the memories touched belonged to a period before the Revolution , obeyed the dictates of politeness , and made amends for his taciturnity indoors by a talkative vein outside .  Captain Boyson was not , however , wholly occupied with history or reminiscence .  He perceived very plainly before the walk was over that the General 'sgood-looking nephew and Miss Daphne Floyd were interested in each other 'sconversation .  When they joined the party in the garden it seemed to him that they had been disputing .  Miss Daphne was flushed and a little snappish when spoken to ; and the young man looked embarrassed .  But presently he saw that they gravitated to each other , and that , whatever chance combination might be formed during the walk , it always ended for a time in the flight ahead of the two figures , the girl in the rose-coloured sash and the tall handsome youth .  Towards the end of the walk they became separated from the rest of the party , and only arrived at the little station just in time before the cars started .  On this occasion again , they had been clearly arguing and disagreeing ; and Daphne had the air of a ruffled bird , her dark eyes glittering , her mouth set in the obstinate lines that Boyson knew by heart .  But again they sat together in the car , and talked and sparred all the way home ; while Mrs. Verrier , in a corner of the carriage , shut her hollow eyes , and laid her thin hands one over the other , and in her purple draperies made a picture à la Mélisande which was not lost upon her companions .  Boyson 'smind registered a good many grim or terse comments , as occasionally he found himself watching this lady .  Scarcely a year since that hideous business at Niagara , and here she was in that extravagant dress !  He wished his sister would not make a friend of her , and that Daphne Floyd saw less of her .  Miss Daphne had quite enough bees in her own bonnet without adopting Mrs. Verrier 's.  Meanwhile , it was the General who , on the return journey , was made to serve Miss Boyson 'sgift for monopoly .  She took possession of him in a business-like way , inquiring into his engagements in Washington , his particular friends , his opinion of the place and the people , with a light-handed acuteness which was more than a match for the Englishman 'sinstincts of defence .  The General did not mean to give himself away ; he intended , indeed , precisely the contrary ; but , after every round of conversation , Miss Boyson felt herself more and more richly provided with materials for satire at the expense of England and the English tourist , his invincible conceit , insularity , and condescension .  She was a clever though tiresome woman ; and expressed herself best in letters .  She promised herself to write a “ character ” of General Hobson in her next letter to an intimate friend , which should be a masterpiece .  Then , having led him successfully through the rôle of the comic Englishman abroad , she repaid him with information .  She told him , not without some secret amusement at the reprobation it excited , the tragic story of Mrs. Verrier .  She gave him a full history of her brother 'shonourable and brilliant career ; and here let it be said that the précieuse in her gave way to the sister , and that she talked with feeling .  And finally she asked him with a smile whether he admired Miss Floyd .  The General , who had in fact been observing Miss Floyd and his nephew with some little uneasiness during the preceding half-hour , replied guardedly that Miss Floyd was pretty and picturesque , and apparently a great talker .  Was she a native of Washington ?  “ You never heard of Miss Floyd ?  — of Daphne Floyd ?  No ?  Ah , well !  ” — and she laughed — “ I suppose I ought to take it as a compliment , of a kind .  There are so many rich people now in this queer country of ours that even Daphne Floyds do n't matter .  ”  “ Is Miss Floyd so tremendously rich ?  ”  General Hobson turned a quickened countenance upon her , expressing no more than the interest felt by the ordinary man in all societies — more strongly , perhaps , at the present day than ever before — in the mere fact of money .  But Miss Boyson gave it at once a personal meaning , and set herself to play on what she scornfully supposed to be the cupidity of the Englishman .  She produced , indeed , a full and particular account of Daphne Floyd 'sparentage , possessions , and prospects , during which the General 'scountenance represented him with great fidelity .  A trace of recalcitrance at the beginning — for it was his opinion that Miss Boyson , like most American women , talked decidedly too much — gave way to close attention tion , then to astonishment , and finally to a very animated observation of Miss Floyd 'sslender person as she sat a yard or two from him on the other side of the car , laughing , frowning , or chattering with Roger .  “ And that poor child has the management of it all ?  ” he said at last , in a tone which did him credit .  He himself had lost an only daughter at twenty-one , and he held old-fashioned views as to the helplessness of women .  But Cecilia Boyson again misunderstood him .  “ Oh , yes !  ” she said , with a cool smile .  “ Everything is in her own hands — everything !  Mrs. Phillips would not dare to interfere .  Daphne always has her own way .  ”  The General said no more .  Cecilia Boyson looked out of the window at the darkening landscape , thinking with malice of Daphne 'sdealings with the male sex .  It had been a Sleeping Beauty story so far .  Treasure for the winning — a thorn hedge — and slain lovers !  The handsome Englishman would try it next , no doubt .  All young Englishmen , according to her , were on the look-out for American heiresses .  Music teacher indeed !  She would have given a good deal to hear the conversation of the uncle and nephew when the party broke up .  The General and young Barnes made their farewells at the railway station , and took their way on foot to their hotel .  Washington was steeped in sunset .  The White House , as they passed it , glowed amid its quiet trees .  Lafayette Square , with its fountains and statues , its white and pink magnolias , its strolling , chatting crowd , the fronts of the houses , the long vistas of tree-lined avenues , the street cars , the houses , the motors , all the openings and distances of the beautiful , leisurely place — they saw them rosily transfigured under a departing sun , which throughout the day had been weaving the quick spells of a southern spring .  “ Jolly weather !  ” said Roger , looking about him .  “ And a very nice afternoon .  How long are you staying here , Uncle Archie ?  ”  “ I ought to be off at the end of the week ; and of course you want to get back to New York ?  I say , you seemed to be getting on with that young lady ?  ”  The General turned a rather troubled eye upon his companion .  “ She was n't bad fun , ” said the young man graciously ; “ but rather an odd little thing !  We quarrelled about every conceivable subject .  And it 'squeer how much that kind of girl seems to go about in America .  She goes everywhere and knows everything .  I wonder how she manages it .  ”  “ What kind of girl do you suppose she is ?  ” asked the General , stopping suddenly in the middle of Lafayette Square .  “ She told me she taught singing , ” said Roger , in a puzzled voice , “ to a class of girls in New York .  ”  The General laughed .  “ She seems to have made a fool of you , my dear boy .  She is one of the great heiresses of America .  ”  Roger 'sface expressed a proper astonishment .  “ Oh !  that 'sit , is it ?  I thought once or twice there was something fishy — she was trying it on .  Who told you ?  ”  The General retailed his information .  Miss Daphne Floyd was the orphan daughter of an enormously rich and now deceased lumber-king , of the State of Illinois .  He had made vast sums by lumbering , and then invested in real estate in Chicago and Buffalo , not to speak of a railway or two , and had finally left his daughter and only child in possession of a fortune generally estimated at more than a million sterling .  The money was now entirely in the girl 'spower .  Her trustees had been sent about their business , though Miss Floyd was pleased occasionally to consult them .  Mrs. Phillips , her chaperon , had not much influence with her ; and it was supposed that Mrs. Verrier advised her more than anyone else .  “ Good heavens !  ” was all that young Barnes could find to say when the story was told .  He walked on absently , flourishing his stick , his face working under the stress of amused meditation .  At last he brought out :  “ You know , Uncle Archie , if you 'dheard some of the things Miss Floyd was saying to me , your hair would have stood on end .  ”  The General raised his shoulders .  “ I dare say .  I 'mtoo old-fashioned for America .  The sooner I clear out the better .  Their newspapers make me sick ; I hate the hotels — I hate the cooking ; and there is n't a nation in Europe I do n't feel myself more at home with .  ”  Roger laughed his clear , good-tempered laugh .  “ Oh !  I do n't feel that way at all .  I get on with them capitally .  They 'rea magnificent people .  And , as to Miss Floyd , I did n't mean anything bad , of course .  Only the ideas some of the girls here have , and the way they discuss them — well , it beats me !  ”  “ What sort of ideas ?  ”  Roger 'shandsome brow puckered in the effort to explain .  “ They do n't think anything 'ssettled , you know , as we do at home .  Miss Floyd does n't .  They think they 'vegot to settle a lot of things that English girls do n't trouble about because they 'rejust told to do ' em , or not to do ' em , by the people that look after them !  ”  “ ‘Everything hatched over again , and hatched different , ’ ” said the General , who was an admirer of George Eliot ; “ that 'swhat they 'dlike , eh ?  Pooh !  That 'swhen they 'reyoung .  They quiet down , like all the rest of the world .  ”  Barnes shook his head .  “ But they are hatching it over again .  You meet people here in society you could n't meet at home .  And it 'sall right .  The law backs them up .  ”  “ You 'retalking about divorce !  ” said the General .  “ Aye !  it 'sastounding !  The tales one hears in the smoking-room after dinner !  In Wyoming , apparently , six months 'residence , and there you are .  You prove a little cruelty , the husband makes everything perfectly easy , you say a civil good-bye , and the thing 'sdone .  Well , they 'llpay for it , my dear Roger — they 'llpay for it .  Nobody ever yet trifled with the marriage law with impunity .  ”  The energy of the old man 'sbearing became him .  Through Roger 'smind the thought flashed : “ Poor dear Uncle Archie !  If he 'dbeen a New Yorker he 'dnever have put up with Aunt Lavinia for thirty years !  ”  They turned into their hotel , and ordered dinner in an hour 'stime .  Roger found some English letters waiting for him , and carried them off to his room .  He opened his mother 'sfirst .  Lady Barnes wrote a large and straggling hand , which required many sheets and much postage .  It might have been observed that her son looked at the sheets for a minute , with a certain distaste , before he began upon them .  Yet he was deeply attached to his mother , and it was from her letters week by week that he took his marching orders .  If she only would n't ride her ideas quite so hard ; if she would sometimes leave him alone to act for himself !  Here it was again — the old story :  “ Do n't suppose I put these things before you on my account .  No , indeed ; what does it matter what happens to me ?  It is when I think that you may have to spend your whole life as a clerk in a bank , unless you rouse yourself now — ( for you know , my dear Roger , though you have very good wits , you 'renot as frightfully clever as people have to be nowadays ) — that I begin to despair .  But that is entirely in your own hands .  You have what is far more valuable than cleverness — you have a delightful disposition , and you are one of the handsomest of men .  There !  of course , I know you would n't let me say it to you in your presence ; but it 'strue all the same .  Any girl should be proud to marry you .  There are plenty of rich girls in America ; and if you play your cards properly you will make her and yourself happy .  The grammar of that is not quite right , but you understand me .  Find a nice girl — of course a nice girl — with a fortune large enough to put you back in your proper sphere ; and it does n't matter about me .  You will pay my rent , I dare say , and help me through when I want it ; but that 'snothing .  The point is , that I cannot submit to your career being spoilt through your poor father 'smad imprudence .  You must retrieve yourself — you must .  Nobody is anything nowadays in the world without money ; you know that as well as I do .  And besides , there is another reason .  You have got to forget the affair of last spring , to put it entirely behind you , to show that horrid woman who threw you over that you will make your life a success in spite of her .  Rouse yourself , my dear Roger , and do your best .  I hope by now you have forwarded all my introductions ?  You have your opportunity , and I must say you will be a great fool if you do n't use it .  Do use it my dear boy , for my sake , I am a very unhappy woman ; but you might , if you would , bring back a little brightness to my life .  ”  After he had read the letter , young Barnes sat for some time in a brown study on the edge of his bed .  The letter contained only one more repetition of counsels that had been dinned into his ears for months — almost ever since the financial crash which had followed his father 'sdeath , and the crash of another sort , concerning himself , which had come so quick upon it .  His thoughts returned , as they always did at some hour of the day or night , to the “ horrid woman .  ” Yes , that had hit him hard ; the lad 'sheart still throbbed with bitterness as he thought of it .  He had never felt anything so much ; he did n't believe he should ever mind anything so much again .  “ I 'mnot one of your sentimental sort , ” he thought , half congratulating himself , half in self-contempt .  But he could not get her out of his head ; he wondered if he ever should .  And it had gone pretty far too .  By Jove !  that night in the orchard !  — when she had kissed him and thrown her arms round his neck !  And then to write him that letter when things were at their worst .  She might have done the thing decently .  Have treated a fellow kindly at least .  Well , of course , it was all done with .  Yes , it was .  Done with !  He got up and began to pace his small room , his hands in his pockets , thinking of the night in the orchard .  Then gradually the smart lessened , and his thoughts passed away to other things .  That little Yankee girl had really made good sport all the way home .  He had not been dull for a moment ; she had teased and provoked him so .  Her eyes , too , were wonderfully pretty , and her small , pointed chin , and her witch-like imperious ways .  Was it her money , the sense that she could do as she liked with most people , that made her so domineering and masterful ?  Very likely .  On the journey he had put it down just to a natural and very surprising impudence .  That was when he believed that she was a teacher , earning her bread .  But the impudence had not prevented him from finding it much more amusing to talk to her than to anybody else .  And , on the whole , he thought she had not disliked him , though she had said the rudest things to him , and he had retaliated .  She had asked him , indeed , to join them in an excursion the following day , and to tea at the Country Club .  He had meant , if possible , to go back to New York on the morrow .  But perhaps a day or two longer —  So she had a million — the little sprite ?  She was and would be a handful !  — with a fortune or without it .  And possessed also of the most extraordinary opinions .  But he thought he would go on the excursion , and to the Country Club .  He began to fold his mother 'sletter , and put it back into its envelope , while a slight flush mounted in his cheeks , and the young mouth that was still so boyish and candid took a stiffer line .  CHAPTER III  “ IS Miss Floyd at home ?  ”  The questioner was Mrs. Verrier , who had just alighted from her carriage at the door of the house in Columbia Avenue inhabited by Miss Floyd and her chaperon .  The maid replied that Miss Floyd had not yet returned , but had left a message begging Mrs. Verrier to wait for her .  The visitor was accordingly ushered to the drawing-room on the first floor .  This room , the staircase , the maid , all bore witness to Miss Floyd 'ssimplicity — like the Romney dress of Mount Vernon .  The colour of the walls and the hangings , the lines of the furniture , were all subdued , even a little austere .  Quiet greens and blues , mingled with white , showed the artistic mind ; the chairs and sofas were a trifle stiff and straight-legged ; the electric fittings were of a Georgian plainness to match the Colonial architecture of the house ; the beautiful self-coloured carpet was indeed Persian and costly , but it betrayed its costliness only to the expert .  Altogether , the room , one would have said , of any bourse moyenne with an eye for beauty .  Fine photographs also , of Italian and Dutch pictures , suggested travel , and struck the cultivated cosmopolitan note .  Mrs. Verrier looked round it with a smile .  It was all as unpretending as the maid who ushered her upstairs .  Daphne would have no men-servants in her employ .  What did two ladies want with them , in a democratic country ?  But Mrs. Verrier happened to know that Daphne 'smaid-servants were just as costly in their degree as the drawing-room carpet .  Chosen for her in London with great care , attracted to Washington by enormous wages , these numerous damsels played their part in the general “ simplicity ” effect ; but on the whole Mrs. Verrier believed that Daphne 'shousehold was rather more expensive than that of other rich people who employed men .  She walked through the room , looking absently at the various photographs and engravings , till her attention was excited by an easel and a picture upon it in the back drawing-room .  She went up to it with a muttered exclamation .  “ So she bought it !  Daphne 'samazing !  ”  For what she saw before her was a masterpiece — an excessively costly masterpiece — of the Florentine school , smuggled out of Italy , to the wrath of the Italian Government , some six months before this date , and since then lost to general knowledge .  Rumour had given it first to a well-known collection at Boston ; then to another at Philadelphia ; yet here it was in the possession of a girl of two-and-twenty of whom the great world was just — but only just — beginning to talk .  “ How like Daphne !  ” thought her friend , with malice .  The “ simple ” room , and the priceless picture carelessly placed in a corner of it , lest any one should really suppose that Daphne Floyd was an ordinary mortal .  Mrs. Verrier sat down at last in a chair fronting the picture and let herself fall into a reverie .  On this occasion she was dressed in black .  The lace strings of a hat crowned with black ostrich feathers were fastened under her chin by a diamond that sparkled in the dim greenish light of the drawing-room ; the feathers of the hat were unusually large and drooping ; they curled heavily round the thin neck and long , hollow-eyed face , so that its ivory whiteness , its fatigue , its fretful beauty , were framed in and emphasised by them ; her bloodless hands lay upon her lap , and the folds of the sweeping dress drawn round her showed her slenderness , or rather her emaciation .  Two years before this date Madeleine Verrier had been a great beauty , and she had never yet reconciled herself to physical losses which were but the outward and visible sign of losses “ far more deeply interfused .  ” As she sat apparently absorbed in thought before the picture , she moved , half consciously , so that she could no longer see herself in a mirror opposite .  Yet her thoughts were in truth much engaged with Daphne and Daphne 'sproceedings .  It was now nearly three weeks since Roger Barnes had appeared on the horizon .  General Hobson had twice postponed his departure for England , and was still “ enduring hardness ” in a Washington hotel .  Why his nephew should not be allowed to manage his courtship , if it was a courtship , for himself , Mrs. Verrier did not understand .  There was no love lost between herself and the General , and she made much mock of him in her talks with Daphne .  However , there he was ; and she could only suppose that he took the situation seriously and felt bound to watch it in the interests of the young man 'sabsent mother .  Was it serious ?  Certainly Daphne had been committing herself a good deal .  The question was whether she had not been committing herself more than the young man had been doing on his side .  That was the astonishing part of it .  Mrs. Verrier could not sufficiently admire the skill with which Roger Barnes had so far played his part ; could not sufficiently ridicule her own lack of insight , which at her first meeting with him had pronounced him stupid .  Stupid he might be in the sense that it was of no use to expect from him the kind of talk on books , pictures , and first principles which prevailed in Daphne 'scircle .  But Mrs. Verrier thought she had seldom come across a finer sense of tactics than young Barnes had so far displayed in his dealings with Daphne .  If he went on as he had begun , the probability was that he would succeed .  Did she , Madeleine Verrier , wish him to succeed ?  Daphne had grown tragically necessary to her , in this world of American society — that section of it , at any rate , in which she desired to move , where the widow of Leopold Verrier was always conscious of the blowing of a cold and hostile breath .  She was not excluded , but she was not welcome ; she was not ostracised , but she had lost consideration .  There had been something picturesque and appealing in her husband ; something unbearably tragic in the manner of his death .  She had braved it out by staying in America , instead of losing herself in foreign towns ; and she had thereby proclaimed that she had no guilty sense of responsibility , no burden on her conscience ; that she had only behaved as a thousand other women would have behaved , and without any cruel intention at all .  But she knew all the same that the spectators of what had happened held her for a cruel woman , and that there were many , and those the best , who saw her come with distaste , and go without regret ; and it was under that knowledge , in spite of indomitable pride , that her beauty had withered in a year .  And at the moment when the smart of what had happened to her — personally and socially — was at its keenest ; when , after a series of quarrels , she had separated herself from the imperious mother who had been her evil genius throughout her marriage , she had made friends , unexpectedly , owing to a chance meeting at a picture-gallery , with Daphne Floyd .  Some element in Daphne 'snature had attracted and disarmed her .  The proud , fastidious woman had given the girl her confidence — eagerly , indiscriminately .  She had poured out upon her all that wild philosophy of “ rights ” which is still struggling in the modern mind with a crumbling ethic and a vanishing religion .  And she had found in Daphne a warm and passionate ally .  Daphne was nothing if not “ advanced .  ” She shrank , as Roger Barnes had perceived , from no question ; she had never been forbidden , had never forbidden herself , any book that she had a fancy to read ; and she was as ready to discuss the relative divorce laws of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania , as the girls of fifty years ago were to talk of the fashions , or “ Evangeline .  ” In any disputed case , moreover , between a man and a woman Daphne was hotly and instinctively on the side of the woman .  She had thrown herself therefore with ardour into the defence of Mrs. Verrier ; and for her it was not the wife 'sdesertion , but the husband 'ssuicide , which had been the cruel and indefensible thing .  All these various traits and liberalisms had made her very dear to Madeleine Verrier .  Now , as that lady sat in her usual drooping attitude , wondering what Washington would be like for her when even Daphne Floyd was gone from it , the afternoon sun stole through the curtains of the window on the street and touched some of the furniture and engravings in the inner drawing-room .  Suddenly Mrs. Verrier started in her chair .  A face had emerged , thrown out upon the shadows by the sun-finger — the countenance of a handsome young Jew , as Rembrandt had once conceived it .  Rare and high intelligence , melancholy , and premonition : — they were there embodied , so long as the apparition lasted .  The effect on Mrs. Verrier was apparently profound .  She closed her eyes ; her lips quivered ; she leant back feebly in her chair , breathing a name .  The crisis lasted a few minutes , while the momentary vision faded and the sunlight crept on .  The eyelids unclosed at last , slowly and painfully , as though shrinking from what might greet the eyes beneath them .  But the farther wall was now in deep shade .  Mrs. Verrier sat up ; the emotion which had mastered her like a possession passed away ; and rising hurriedly , she went back to the front drawing-room .  She had hardly reached it when Miss Floyd 'svoice was heard upon the stairs .  Daphne entered the room in what appeared to be a fit of irritation .  She was scolding the parlour-maid , whose high colour and dignified silence proclaimed her both blameless and long-suffering .  At the sight of Mrs. Verrier Daphne checked herself with an effort and kissed her friend rather absently .  “ Dear Madeleine !  — very good of you to wait .  Have they given you tea ?  I suppose not .  My household seems to have gone mad this afternoon .  Sit down .  Some tea , Blount , at once .  ”  Mrs. Verrier sank into a corner of the sofa , while Daphne , with an “ Ouf !  ” of fatigue , took off her hat , and threw herself down at the other end , her small feet curled up beneath her .  Her half-frowning eyes gave the impression that she was still out of temper and on edge .  “ Where have you been ?  ” asked her companion quietly .  “ Listening to a stuffy debate in the Senate , ” said Daphne without a smile .  “ The Senate .  What on earth took you there ?  ”  “ Well , why should n't I go ?  — why does one do anything ?  It was just a debate — horribly dull — trusts , or something , of that kind .  But there was a man attacking the President — and the place was crowded .  Ugh !  the heat was intolerable !  ”  “ Who took you ?  ”  Daphne named an under-secretary — an agreeable and ambitious man , who had been very much in her train during the preceding winter , and until Roger Barnes appeared upon the scene .  “ I thought until I got your message that you were going to take Mr. Barnes motoring up the river .  ”  “ Mr. Barnes was engaged .  ” Daphne gave the information tersely , rousing herself afterwards to make tea , which appeared at that moment .  “ He seems to have been a good deal engaged this week , ” said Mrs. Verrier , when they were alone again .  Daphne made no reply .  And Mrs. Verrier , after observing her for a moment , resumed :  “ I suppose it was the Bostonians ?  ”  “ I suppose so .  What does it matter ?  ” The tone was dry and sharp .  “ Daphne , you goose !  ” laughed Mrs. Verrier , “ I believe this is the very first invitation of theirs he has accepted at all .  He was written to about them by an old friend — his Eton master , or somebody of that sort .  And as they turned up here on a visit , instead of his having to go and look for them at Boston , of course he had to call upon them .  ”  “ I dare say .  And of course he had to go to tea with them yesterday , and he had to take them to Arlington this afternoon !  I suppose I 'dbetter tell you — we had a quarrel on the subject last night .  ”  “ Daphne !  — do n't , for heaven 'ssake , make him think himself too important !  ” cried Mrs. Verrier .  Daphne , with both elbows on the table , was slowly crunching a morsel of toast in her small white teeth .  She had a look of concentrated energy — as of a person charged and overcharged with force of some kind , impatient to be let loose .  Her black eyes sparkled ; impetuosity and will shone from them ; although they showed also rims of fatigue , as if Miss Daphne 'snights had not of late been all they should be .  Mrs. Verrier was chiefly struck , however , by the perception that for the first time Daphne was not having altogether her own way with the world .  Madeleine had not observed anything of the same kind in her before .  In general she was in entire command both of herself and of the men who surrounded her .  She made a little court out of them , and treated them en despote .  But Roger Barnes had not lent himself to the process ; he had not played the game properly ; and Daphne 'ssleep had been disturbed for the first time in history .  It had been admitted very soon between the two friends — without putting it very precisely — that Daphne was interested in Roger Barnes .  Mrs. Verrier believed that the girl had been originally carried off her feet by the young man 'ssuperb good looks , and by the natural distinction — evident in all societies — which they conferred upon him .  Then , no doubt , she had been piqued by his good-humoured , easy way — the absence of any doubt of himself , of tremor , of insistence .  Mrs. Verrier said to herself — not altogether shrewdly — that he had no nerves , or no heart ; and Daphne had not yet come across the genus .  Her lovers had either possessed too much heart — like Captain Boyson — or a lack of coolness , when it really came to the point of grappling with Daphne and her millions , as in the case of a dozen she could name .  Whereby it had come about that Daphne 'sattention had been first provoked , then peremptorily seized by the Englishman ; and Mrs. Verrier began now to suspect that deeper things were really involved .  Certainly there was a good deal to puzzle the spectator .  That the English are a fortune-hunting race may be a popular axiom ; but it was quite possible , after all , that Roger Barnes was not the latest illustration of it .  It was quite possible , also , that he had a sweetheart at home , some quiet , Quakerish girl who would never wave in his face the red flags that Daphne was fond of brandishing .  It was equally possible that he was merely fooling with Daphne — that he had seen girls he liked better in New York , and was simply killing time till a sportsman friend of whom he talked should appear on the scene and take him off to shoot moose and catch trout in the province of Quebec .  Mrs. Verrier realised that , for all his lack of subtlety and the higher conversation , young Barnes had managed astonishingly to keep his counsel .  His “ simplicity , ” like Daphne 's, seemed to be of a special type .  And yet — there was no doubt that he had devoted himself a great deal .  Washington society had quickly found him out ; he had been invited to all the most fastidious houses , and was immensely in request for picnics and expeditions .  But he had contrived , on the whole , to make all these opportunities promote the flirtation with Daphne .  He had , in fact , been enough at her beck and call to make her the envy of a young society with whom the splendid Englishman promised to become the rage , and not enough to silence or wholly discourage other claimants on his time .  This no doubt accounted for the fact that the two charming Bostonians , Mrs. Maddison and her daughter , who had but lately arrived in Washington and made acquaintance with Roger Barnes , were still evidently in ignorance of what was going on .  They were not initiated .  They had invited young Barnes in the innocence of their hearts , without inviting Daphne Floyd , whom they did not previously know .  And the young man had seen fit to accept their invitation .  Hence the jealousy that was clearly burning in Daphne , that she was not indeed even trying to hide from the shrewd eyes of her friend .  Mrs. Verrier 'sadvice not to make Roger Barnes “ too important ” had called up a flash of colour in the girl 'scheeks .  But she did not resent it in words ; rather her silence deepened , till Mrs. Verrier stretched out a hand and laughingly turned the small face towards her that she might see what was in it .  “ Daphne !  I really believe you 'rein love with him !  ”  “ Not at all , ” said Daphne , her eyelids flickering ; “ I never know what to talk to him about .  ”  “ As if that mattered !  ”  “ Elsie Maddison always knows what to talk to him about , and he chatters to her the whole time .  ”  Mrs. Verrier paused a moment , then said : “ Do you suppose he came to America to marry money ?  ”  “ I have n't an idea .  ”  “ Do you suppose he knows that you — are not exactly a pauper ?  ”  Daphne drew herself away impatiently .  “ I really do n't suppose anything , Madeleine .  He never talks about money , and I should think he had plenty himself .  ”  Mrs. Verrier replied by giving an outline of the financial misfortunes of Barnes père , as they had been described to her by another English traveller in Washington .  Daphne listened indifferently .  “ He ca n't be very poor or he would n't behave as he does .  And he is to inherit the General 'sproperty .  He told me so .  ”  “ And it would n't matter to you , Daphne , if you did think a man had married you for money ?  ”  Daphne had risen , and was pacing the drawing-room floor , her hands clasped behind her back .  She turned a cloudy face upon her questioner .  “ It would matter a great deal , if I thought it had been only for money .  But then , I hope I should n't have been such a fool as to marry him .  ”  “ But you could bear it , if the money counted for something ?  ”  “ I 'mnot an idiot !  ” said the girl with energy .  “ With whom does n't money count for something ?  Of course a man must take money into consideration .  ” There was a curious touch of arrogance in the gesture which accompanied the words .  “ ‘How pleasant it is to have money , heigh-ho !  — How pleasant it is to have money , ’ ” said Mrs. Verrier , quoting , with a laugh .  “ Yes , I dare say you 'dbe very reasonable , Daphne , about that kind of thing .  But I do n't think you 'dbe a comfortable wife , dear , all the same .  ”  “ What do you mean ?  ”  “ You might allow your husband to spare a little love to your money ; you would be for killing him if he ever looked at another woman !  ”  “ You mean I should be jealous ?  ” asked Daphne , almost with violence .  “ You are quite right there .  I should be very jealous .  On that point I should ‘find quarrel in a straw.’ ”  Her cheeks had flushed a passionate red .  The eyes which she had inherited from her Spanish grandmother blazed above them .  She had become suddenly a woman of Andalusia and the South , moved by certain primitive forces in the blood .  Madeleine Verrier held out her hands , smiling .