clear skin, the Jew with a diabolical raising of the outer ends of his black, bushy eyebrows; the third member of the party, a thick-set, sulky-looking young man, whose personality suggested an overfed black cat, muttered something which could not have been amiable.
"Better not stare at her, James," said Dallas. "If she were to run over here and bite you, you'd certainly go mad."
"I shall risk it," said Sir James, "to find out if she's pretty." He stared placidly for a moment, then blinked out the monocle and turned to his friend. "You are quite right, old chap; she is."
"I am beginning to change my mind," said Dallas. "I don't think that I like yellow eyes and blue hair. The color scheme should be reversed. Now she's angry and going off to sulk. She gets up like a cat or a puma — all part of the same swing. Gad, she's got a figure! Now, don't stare her off the beach until I've looked! My word, but you English have beastly manners!"
The girl had risen and was standing, beautifully poised, looking at the sea over the heads of her companions. She said a few words, then moved off toward the bath-houses.
"She's going to bathe," said Sir James. "Believe I'll have a dip myself. Coming in?"
"No thanks. Too late in the season. I haven't thawed out yet from yesterday's swim, and I've got to run the car this afternoon."
The Englishman rose to his feet and strode off toward the bath houses. It was late in September, and the little resort was almost deserted. Dallas and his friend had dropped in en tour on the motor car belonging to the former.
In a few moments Sir James came stalking down the beach, an attractive masculine combination of fresh, athletic skin, long clean muscles, and yellow hair, his very blue eyes like lapis lazuli against his brick-red complexion. The two friends were of markedly different type, as Dallas was of medium height, slender, wiry, of a high nervous tension, and with the face of a very handsome and thoroughbred woman. His eyes were a clear gray, with lashes very long and black. No one had ever seen him thrown out of poise.
Sir James stretched his naked limbs luxuriously upon the hot sand and looked with cheerful expectation toward the bath-houses.
"Why don't you loll out your tongue and prick up your ears and wag your tail, James?" snapped Dallas irritably. "Can't you decently cloak your emotions? And I must say you have plenty of cheek to calmly go in swimming with that girl."
"The Channel is free to all, and why is a woman made pretty if not to attract the eyes of men? Ah!"
Dallas looked around and saw the girl coming down the beach. She was enveloped in a white peignoir and followed by an exceedingly
