A Butterfly on the Wheel. Thorne Guy

out the big central light which depended from the roof. "Isn't it rather nice?"

      Peggy had entrenched herself behind the little table on which supper had been laid. She was obviously tremendously amused, but she made a great effort to be serious. "Colling!" she said, "it is mad. Supposing anybody knew!"

      Collingwood was quite calm. He treated the whole thing as if it were the most ordinary occasion. He strolled lazily over to the fireplace, took a cigarette-case from his pocket, a cigarette from it, and struck a light.

      "How can anyone know?" he asked.

      Peggy seemed alarmed once more.

      "No! Colling, please don't light a cigarette. It is too late. I must go to bed."

      Collingwood's only answer was to blow out a cloud of smoke, to cross over to the sofa and throw himself upon it.

      "Not yet," he said. "Don't be unkind, Peggy. Just one cigarette. Just one, in front of the fire—which, by the way, is out—and then bye-byes."

      "Well, one cigarette, but only one," Peggy said.

      Collingwood sat up. "Good little Peggy," he said in a low, quiet voice; and then, raising his head, he looked at her intently with his brilliant grey eyes.

      Peggy looked him straight in the face also, and then the spirit of mischief, the excitement of this odd meeting, got the better of her prudence. She came to the back of the sofa and leant over it. "Isn't Peggy going to have one?" she said.

      The man took his cigarette-case from his waistcoat pocket, opened it, and gave her a cigarette. Her face was tantalisingly close to his, and she noticed, well enough, that his hand was trembling as he did so. She kept her face close to his just half a moment longer than the situation required.

      Collingwood's voice began to shake also. "Now, Peggy, you little devil," he said.

      "Why is Peggy a little devil?"

      With a slim brown hand, which, despite all the man's sang-froid, still shook like a leaf in the wind, he lit the cigarette for the girl, looking up into her face as he did so.