Cooley, of Cooley Mills, Connecticut. Young Cooley, a person of
cheery manners and bright waistcoats, was one of Mellin's few
sea-acquaintances; they had played shuffleboard together on the steamer
during odd half-hours when Mr. Cooley found it possible to absent
himself from poker in the smoking-room; and they encountered each other
again on the channel boat crossing to Calais.

_"Hey!"_ was Mr. Cooley's lively greeting. "I'm meetin' lots of people
I know to-day. You runnin' over to Paris, too? Come up to the boat-deck
and meet the Countess de Vaurigard."

"Who?" said Mellin, red with pleasure, yet fearing that he did not hear
aright.

"The Countess de Vaurigard. Queen! met her in London. Sneyd introduced
me to her. You remember Sneyd on the steamer? Baldish Englishman--red
nose--doesn't talk much--younger brother of Lord Rugden, so he says.
Played poker some. Well, _yes!_"

"I saw him. I didn't meet him."

"You didn't miss a whole lot. Fact is, before we landed I almost had him
sized up for queer, but when he introduced me to the Countess I saw my
mistake. He must be the real thing. _She_ certainly is! You come along
up and see."

So Mellin followed, to make his bow before a thin, dark, charmingly
pretty young woman, who smiled up at him from her deck-chair through
an enhancing mystery of veils; and presently he found himself sitting
beside her. He could not help trembling slightly at first, but he would