forced to the wall, julia’s mind always became cool and practical. tay inspired her with a new fear. if he had come to nevis to await her husband’s death, he intended to marry her and take her away with him. it was one more proof that he possessed that form of genius which makes certain men the quick partner of circumstance and insures their mastery of life. in his own phraseology, he never missed a trick. no doubt he would take out a special license to-morrow.

but she had no intention of being rushed into marriage. the most formidable barrier had been razed; her desertion of the women might bring reprobation on herself, but not ridicule on the cause; nevertheless, confronted with the necessity of an immediate decision, she realized acutely that four years of devotion to a great impersonal ideal had inspired her with a love for it of which she had barely been conscious at the time. the idea of deserting this cause she had made her own, or, at the most, giving it a divided homage in a distant land, renewed that love with such a jealous intensity that for the moment she hated tay as the chief exponent of that ruthless male force which had bred the revolt of woman. his dash to nevis was a declaration of war, but a war which should bring defeat to her not to him. she buckled on her own armor at the thought. it was possible that he would win, but not without her full connivance. nor should she see him again until she had made up her mind with no assistance of his.

she had instantly abandoned the intention to meet him at present, and sat down to compose a note to send him on the morrow. many sheets went into the waste-paper basket before this note was written to her satisfaction. it was impossible to refer openly to her husband’s death, nor, for the matter of that, was it necessary. angry as she was, she never for a moment forgot that his instant sympathy, his instinctive comprehension of her, was the deepest of their bonds. a word would be sufficient. he would understand, and wait.

“you must give me three or four days, possibly a week, to think it all out,” she wrote finally. “you think and strike like lightning, but my mind is made on another plan. for me, all great crises must be approached with deliberation, if only because nature made me the most impulsive of women. i have learned to weigh, having a profound distrust for those instincts upon which women pride themselves. but you always understand. i could not love you if you did not. when i write next, my mind will have been made up once for all.”

but unfortunately tay was not in a position to understand. he had received no second cablegram from dark, for dark knew nothing of france’s death. the duke, by no means anxious to remind the world that another member of the house of france had gone insane, made no announcement in the london newspapers, and it was not until several days later that ishbel heard the news from bridgit.

“that’s over, thank heaven!” said mrs. maundrell. “and i’m going to take the bull by the horns and send nigel to nevis when he returns next week. happily, mr. tay is safe in california. what is the matter?”

“i was thinking how wonderful it would be if nigel and julia really should marry, after all,” said ishbel, without a blush. “but i must run, dear. i’ve a dinner to-night.” and she hastened to the cable office and sent a message to tay; and another to julia, warning her of the threatened invasion.

but this was not until three days later, and meanwhile tay received julia’s note. nor was denny the messenger.

the old servant had orders to take it to the hotel at seven o’clock in the morning, and, if tay had gone out (and even visitors rise early in the tropics) to go to the jungle at nine. as denny never hurried himself, it was after seven when he started on his errand. fanny was mounting her horse for her daily ride over the estate when he passed her. she saw the note, held respectfully in his hand, swooped down upon it, and tucked it in her belt.

“you have too much to do to go on errands,” she said severely. “i will give this note to mr. tay. where shall i find him?”

denny repeated his instructions, adding dubiously, “but you never go off the estate alone, missy.”

“i shall this morning, and see that you do not mention it. if you do, you shall have no tobacco for a week.”

fanny attended to her duties mechanically until a few minutes before nine, then turned her horse in the direction of the jungle. she felt no curiosity in regard to the contents of the note, but knew that it must have been written to break an appointment. she hummed an old african tune and felt that she held the apple of life in her hand. no scruples disturbed her. julia was thirty-four, quite old enough, as she had frankly observed, to be her mother, certainly old enough to have done with love, far too old to interfere with the preeminent rights of youth. nor had she the faintest misgivings as to her power to take any man from any woman. was she not eighteen? was she not a beauty? did not every man’s eye fight a torch as it met hers? the arrogance of girlhood was never more consummately realized than in fanny edis on that glorious tropic morning as she rode to appropriate her aunt’s lover; and although her intelligence was too undeveloped to reason, she subtly felt that nature was always the ally of such fresh healthy young vehicles for the race as she. nor was she as innocent as julia had been at her age. no governess had ever been able to keep at her heels, and she had seen much of life among the blacks.

she saw tay walking restlessly up and down before a grove of banana trees, and waved to him gayly, taking no notice of his apprehensive frown.

“here is a letter from julia,” she said as she rode up. “i suspect she can’t come. granny told her last night that she wanted the whole history of that suffrage movement this morning.”

tay barely heard her. he read with a sensation of amazement the brief too carefully written message, which informed him that he was to waste a week more of his precious time on this island. he had no key to the riddle, and was astonished at this manifestation of caprice in a woman who had always seemed to him to possess just enough of that charming feminine quality; none of the stupid excess which made so many women unreasonable. moreover, she had deliberately broken her word. anger succeeded amazement, and if there had been a steamer leaving nevis, he would have taken it and flung the consequences in her face. but here he was a captive for quite another week. he had no intention of betraying his chagrin to this sharp-eyed girl, however, and he merely put the note in his pocket and thanked her for bringing it.

but the eyes he met were not sharp. they were fixed on him in a large appeal.

“mr. tay,” fanny said, with charming hesitation, “i know that julia wouldn’t meet you this morning, and from something she said last night i know that she does not intend to leave the estate for several days. she made aunt maria promise to take me to the party at bath house on thursday. she said she was too tired, but i am sure she is avoiding you. it is too horrid of her, when you have come all this distance. but i don’t fancy any one can unmake aunt julia’s mind. so—so—i have a plan to propose.”

she blushed and looked handsomer than ever, and as she was a born horsewoman, this was very handsome indeed. her lids drooped, and she drew a long breath, almost of ecstasy. “oh, mr. tay!” she whispered imploringly. “make believe that i am aunt julia—young again—while you are here! then i should have an imitation love affair, at least, and it would be something always to remember. will you?”

tay stared at her; but balked, angry, helpless, his temper lashed with the memory of cablegrams he had received that morning both from his irate father and the lincoln-roosevelt league, he felt more than inclined to accept this young coquette’s proposal, not only to punish julia, but to pass the time. moreover, julia had thrown her at his head. he never doubted that she had given fanny the note; and he wondered at the fatuity of woman. still, he hesitated.

fanny pouted.

“you are afraid i will fall in love with you,” she said audaciously.

“more likely it would be the other way,” he replied with automatic gallantry.

“well—why not?”

“my dear miss edis, there is no more harrowing experience than being in love with two women at once.”

“as if such a thing could be!”

“common enough outside of books.”

“well— you might love me on nevis and keep julia for london. that is where she belongs.”

again tay stared at her. she had the heady magnetism of youth. she was a part of the gorgeous tropic scene. he reflected that if he had met fanny first, and on nevis, he certainly should have flirted with her. he did not take girls very seriously, having been trained by the cool flirtatious young heads of his own race. that fanny was in love with him never entered his mind. little did he guess the pickle he was mixing for himself when he finally raised that brown little hand to his lips.

“by all means let us have our comedy,” he said. “i am game if you are.”

fanny gave a nervous laugh that might have warned him if anger and disappointment had not made him reckless. she slid from her horse and tied it to a tree.

“now take me out in your motor-boat,” she said with a charming air of authority. “that will be a real adventure.”