Sylvia finished her round of visits in a state approaching insolvency. Mrs. Kettering, with whom she stayed some time, indulged in expensive amusements, and though she would have listened with good-humor to a plea of poverty, Sylvia declined to make it. She would not have Bland suspect the state of her affairs, and while he remained in the house she took her part in all that went on, which included card-playing for high stakes. As it happened, she had a steady run of misfortune. Bland sympathized with her and occasionally ventured a remonstrance, but she could see that the cheerful manner in which she faced her losses had its effect on him.

On the evening of her return, Herbert was strolling along the platform at a busy junction, in the gathering dusk, when he noticed Bland speaking to a porter. Soon afterward. Bland came toward him, and Herbert asked him if he were staying in the neighborhood.

"No," said Bland; "I\'m passing through; only been here half an hour.
We\'re probably on the same errand."

"I came to meet Mrs. Marston," Herbert told him. "And I broke my journey to town with the idea of being of some assistance when she changed."

"They don\'t give one much time here, and it\'s an awkward station,"
Herbert said, with a careless air.

It struck him that Sylvia\'s acquaintance with the man must have ripened rapidly, for he was well informed of her movements; but this was no concern of his. He had thought for some time that a match between her and George would be unsuitable. For a while he and Bland talked about indifferent matters, and then the latter turned to him with a smile.

"I was very lucky at a small steeplechase," he said. "Backed a rank outsider that only a few friends of mine believed in. Do you know of anything that\'s bound to go up on the Stock Exchange? It\'s in your line, I think."

"I don\'t. Such stocks are remarkably scarce. If there\'s any strong reason for a rise in value, buyers anticipate it."

"Then perhaps you know of something that has a better chance than the rest? I expect your tip\'s worth having."

"You might try—rubber!"

"Rubber? Hasn\'t that been a little overdone?"

Herbert considered, for this remark confirmed his private opinion. Rubber shares had been in strong demand, but he thought they would not continue in general favor. The suggestion made by an outsider might be supposed to express the view held by small speculators, which had its effect on the market.

"I gave you my idea, but I can\'t guarantee success," he said. "You must use your judgment, and don\'t blame me if things go wrong."

"Of course not; the risk\'s mine," returned Bland; and Herbert thought he meant to follow his advice.

A few minutes later, the train which they were waiting for came in, and Herbert tactfully stood aside when Bland helped Sylvia to alight. Watching her face, he concluded by the absence of any sign of surprise that the meeting had been arranged. Bland, however, had little opportunity for conversation amid the bustle; and the train was on the point of starting before Sylvia saw Herbert. He got in as it was moving, and she looked at him sharply.

"I didn\'t expect you would meet me."

"So I supposed," he told her.

"Oh, well," she said, smiling, "you might have been useful."

Herbert thought she might have thanked him for coming, considering that he had, by his wife\'s orders, made an inconvenient journey; but gratitude was not one of Sylvia\'s virtues.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked.

"Yes, on the whole, but I\'ve been dreadfully unlucky. In fact, I\'m threatened by a financial crisis."

Herbert made a rueful grimace.

"I know what that means; I\'m getting used to it. But we\'ll talk the matter over another time. I suppose I\'m neglecting my duties; I ought to lecture you."

"Isn\'t Muriel capable of doing all that\'s necessary in that line?"

"She\'s hampered by not knowing as much as I do," Herbert retorted with a meaning smile.

Nothing of moment passed between them during the rest of the journey, but some time after they reached home Herbert turned to Sylvia, who was sitting near him, in the absence of his wife.

"You\'re short of funds again?" he asked.

Sylvia explained her embarrassments, and Herbert looked thoughtful.

"So," he said, "you have spent what George sent, as well as what I advanced you in anticipation of his next remittance. This can\'t go on, you know."

"I\'ll be very economical for the next few months," Sylvia promised penitently.

"If you\'re not, you\'ll find very stern economy imperative during those that follow; but I\'ll let you have a small check before I leave."

Sylvia thanked him and they talked about other matters for a while.
Then he said carelessly:

"There\'s a favor you could do me. It won\'t cost you any trouble. A young man is coming down here next week, and I want you to be as pleasant as you can and make him enjoy his visit. I\'m inclined to think he\'ll appreciate any little attention you can show him."

"The last\'s a cheap compliment," Sylvia rejoined. "Aren\'t you asking me to undertake your wife\'s duty?"

Herbert smiled.

"Not altogether. Muriel\'s an excellent hostess; she will do her part, but I want you to assist her. You have exceptional and rather dangerous gifts."

"Don\'t go too far," Sylvia warned him. "But I\'d better understand the situation. How long do you expect me to be amiable to the man?"

"Only for a couple of days. He might come down again, but that\'s not certain."

Sylvia considered, for she saw what Herbert required. She was to exert her powers of fascination upon the visitor, in order to make him more pliable in his host\'s hands. The task was not a disagreeable one, and she had foreseen all along that Herbert, in indulging her in various ways, would look for some return.

"After all," she said, "there\'s no reason why I should be ungracious to him, so long as he\'s pleasant."

Herbert carelessly nodded agreement, but Sylvia knew that he expected her to carry out his wishes; and she did not find it difficult when the guest arrived.

Paul Singleton was young, and perhaps unusually susceptible to the influences brought to bear upon him during his visit. Born with some talents, in very humble station, he had by means of scholarships obtained an excellent education, and had devoted himself in particular to the study of botany. A prosperous man who took an interest in him sent him out to a tropical plantation, where he wrote a work on the vegetable product of equatorial regions, which secured him notice. Indeed, he was beginning to make his mark as an authority on the subject. So far, however, his life had been one of economy and self-denial, and although Lansing\'s dwelling was not characterized by any very marked signs of culture or luxury, it was different from the surroundings to which Singleton was accustomed. His hostess was staidly cordial and at once set him at his ease; Sylvia was a revelation. Her piquant prettiness and her charm of manner dazzled him. She played her part well, not merely because she had agreed to do so, but because it was one that strongly appealed to her nature.

On the second evening of Singleton\'s visit, he was talking to Sylvia rather confidentially in the drawing-room, where Mrs. Lansing had left them, while Herbert was seated at a table in his library with a cigar in his hand and a litter of papers in front of him. He was thinking hard, and rubber occupied the foremost place in ............