mansions, and with everybody very much dressed up. He felt that the only
thing in the world that really counted was money. If you had enough of
it the world was yours!


II

Year after year the Bannisters of Huntersfield had eaten their Horse
Show luncheon under a clump of old oaks beneath which the horses now
stopped. The big trees were dropping golden leaves in the dryness. From
the rise of the hill one looked down on the grandstand and the crowd as
from the seats of an amphitheater.

Judge Bannister remembered when the women of the crowd had worn hoops
and waterfalls. Aunt Claudia's memory went back to bustles and bonnets.
There were deeper memories, too, than of clothes--of old friends and
young faces--there was always a moment of pensive retrospect when the
Bannisters stopped under the old oak on the hill.

Randolph Paine, his mother and Major Prime were to join them at
luncheon. Separate plans had been made by the boarders who had packed
themselves into various cars and carriages, and had their own boxes and
baskets.

"Caroline Paine is always late," the Judge said with some impatience;
"if we don't eat on time, we shall have to hurry. I have never hurried
in my life and I don't want to begin now."

Claudia Beaufort was accustomed to impatience in men, and she was
inflexible as a hostess. "Well, of course, we couldn't begin without