Fay made no reply.
A day or two later she met George Judson formally at one of Miss Browning's affairs and, as she danced with him, felt something strange and indefinable proceeding from his embrace. It was not the step and rhythm. It was something that proceeded from himself and rather defied analysis. Fay was piqued that he did not ask her for another dance immediately, that she might sample the experience again and continue its study empirically, as it were. After that the tide of the evening seemed to bear him away from her.
From the time of that first dance, Fay Gilman encountered George Judson rather frequently at one social affair or another; and always he intrigued her interest; always there was some mysterious but thrilling sense of an interplay of currents between them. What piqued her still was that he seemed to be unconscious of this. Certainly he was not especially attentive to her; but showered his favors on many girls alike. This was a trifle irritating to her pride. He was the first man she had ever wanted to see around her more frequently than he was willing to exhibit himself.
Put out for a time with him, she began contrarily to make deliberate but artful attempts to attract him. To her great joy he proved instantly responsive to these. The mo-
