"That, my dear Rowena, is my good friend and
client, George Tryon, of North Carolina. If he had
been a stranger, I should have said that he took a
liberty; but as things stand, we ought to regard it
as a compliment. The incident is quite in accord
with the customs of chivalry. If George were but
masked and you were veiled, we should have a
romantic situation,--you the mysterious damsel in
distress, he the unknown champion. The parallel,
my dear, might not be so hard to draw, even as
things are. But look, it is his turn now; I'll wager
that he makes a good run."

"I'll take you up on that, Mr. Warwick," said
Mrs. Newberry from behind, who seemed to have a
very keen ear for whatever Warwick said.

Rena's eyes were fastened on her knight, so that
she might lose no single one of his movements. As
he rode down the lists, more than one woman found
him pleasant to look upon. He was a tall, fair
young man, with gray eyes, and a frank, open face.
He wore a slight mustache, and when he smiled,
showed a set of white and even teeth. He was
mounted on a very handsome and spirited bay mare,
was clad in a picturesque costume, of which velvet
knee-breeches and a crimson scarf were the most
conspicuous features, and displayed a marked skill
in horsemanship. At the blast of the bugle his
horse started forward, and, after the first few rods,