Beyond the Rocks

Josiah was angry with himself and deeply humiliated. He apologized as

well as he could, but to no purpose with the wrathful dame.

And Theodora slipped behind his chair, and laid her hand upon his

shoulder in what was almost a caress, and said, in a sweet and playful

voice: "You are a naughty, stupid fellow, Josiah, and of course you must pay

the losses of both sides to make up for being such a wicked thing," and

she patted his shoulders and smiled her gentle smile at the angry lady,

as though they were children playing for counters or sweets, and the

twenty pounds was a nothing to her husband, as indeed it was not.

Josiah would cheerfully have paid a hundred to finish the unpleasant

scene.

He was intensely grateful to her--grateful for her thought for him and

for her public caress.

And the lady was so surprised at the turn affairs had taken that she

said no more, and, allowing him to pay without too great protest, meekly

suggested another rubber. But Josiah was not to be caught again. He

rose, and, saying good-night, followed his wife and Lord Bracondale into

the saloon.