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(ocean nine rm Mee F THe Prarmn b om arenes mea me aot Meee ee eee name eae neg TN " —
B89 WILD MARGARET. “
_ always how Lord Blair—they always call him Blair!—rode
in such and such a race, and how he swam such and such a
river, and fought such and such a man, and what a mag-
nificent place Leyton Court is, and how lovely and famous
the Countess of Ferrers had become! Why, when some
people heard we were coming to stay with you they looked
at us as if we were going down to Windsor Castle!”
Margaret laughed with all her old light-heartedness.
‘‘You always were a terrible flatterer, Florence?’ she
gaid.
‘*Now, that’s a shame, for it prevents me saying what
I was going to remark; but I’ll say it all the same.
Margaret, do you know that I should scarcely have known
either of you?” a -
‘*Really? We have both grown so gray!”
‘*You have both grown so ridiculously young!’’ re-
torted the princess emphatically. ‘‘I don’t mean that
you ever looked old, that’s absurd of course; but you were
so grave and quiet and sad. Don’t you remember the
first day I saw you I said you reminded me of mamma?
That you were so—so—what is the word you English are
so fond of?—so sober! That’s it! And now you speak and
laugh like a young girl again!”
pont Margaret answered her almost as she had answered
air,
‘““Do I, dear? It must be because I am so happy!”
And indeed it was a very happy little party in the small
dining-room that night. Blair was like the old Blair, full
of stories of his wild youth, ready with the old light laugh-
ter; just the same Blair who used to win the hearts of old
and young in the time before Austin. Ambrose had com-
menced to set his snares.
They were so merry in a wise fashion, so light-hearted,
that they had forgotten the past entirely; and it was not
until the two ladies had left the room—the princess be-
seeching the two gentlemen not to leave them alone in the
drawing-room too long, in case they should quarrel—that
Blair grew suddenly quiet. = oe /
--: L can’t tell you how I have looked forward to this visit,
Rivani,” he said. ‘I have been looking forward to it
since that day in Florence when we shook hands at part-
ing, and you promised to come and stay with us.”
Iam very glad to come,” said the prince, with sincere
earnestness. **Gladder still to see you so well—and the
countess.’ .
‘You thinks she looks well?” gai iy hi ieht-
ing sh af once. said Blair, his face light
‘She looks the picture of youth and “health and happi-