She linked her arm in Olga's once more, and drew her to the door. Olga
carried the book with her for safety, determined that her friend should
feast no more on horrors.

"What a little tyrant you are!" laughed Violet. "I am coming to protect
you from the dragon, but I shall probably end by protecting the dragon
from you. Do you keep a censorious eye upon the literature he reads
also?"

"I leave him quite alone," said Olga, "unless he interferes with me."

"Ah! And then, I suppose, you scratch him heartily Poor young man! But I
should imagine he is quite capable of clipping your claws if they get in
his way. My dear, your fate will be no easy one. I should begin to treat
him kindly if I were you."

"I shall never do that," said Olga with conviction.

She was somewhat dismayed as they passed through the archway into the
hall to find Max and his host still there; but as they were at the
further end and apparently deeply engrossed in conversation, she decided
that Violet's gay remarks were scarcely likely to have made any
impression, even if they had penetrated so far.

Both men looked up at their entrance, and Max at once moved to meet
them.

"I've turned up again at risk of boring you, Miss Campion," he observed.
"I chanced to find myself in this direction, so had to yield to the