and twenty-six thousand dollars this year upon her clothes, and she
gave long interviews, in which she set forth the fact that a woman
nowadays could not really be well dressed upon less than a hundred
thousand a year. It was Miss Yvette's boast that she had never
ridden in a street-car in her life.

Montague always had a soft spot in his heart for the unfortunate
Miss Yvette, who laboured so hard to be a guiding light; for it
chanced to be while she was in the ring, exhibiting her skill in
driving tandem, that he met with a fateful encounter. Afterward,
when he came to look back upon these early days, it seemed strange
to him that he should have gone about this place, so careless and
unsuspecting, while the fates were weaving strange destinies about
him.

It was on Tuesday afternoon, and he sat in the box of Mrs. Venable,
a sister-in-law of the Major. The Major, who was a care-free
bachelor, was there himself, and also Betty Wyman, who was making
sprightly comments on the passers-by; and there strolled into the
box Chappie de Peyster, accompanied by a young lady.

So many people had stopped and been introduced and then passed on,
that Montague merely glanced at her once. He noticed that she was
tall and graceful, and caught her name, Miss Hegan.

The turnouts in the ring consisted of one horse harnessed in front
of another; and Montague was wondering what conceivable motive could
induce a human being to hitch and drive horses in that fashion. The
conversation turned upon Miss Yvette, who was in the ring; and Betty
remarked upon the airy grace with which she wielded the long whip