Lady Beauregard was interrupted by her neighbor.

“What has pleased you, then, so much?” said his hostess, looking up at him.  “London?  Or the people in it?  Or any one person in it?”

“Oh,” he said, laughingly, “the whole thing.  What is the use of dissecting?  It is nothing but holiday making in this place.  Now, Miss Rawlinson, are you brave?  Won’t you challenge the admiral to drink a glass of wine with you?  And you must include his companion—­just as they do at the city dinners—­and I will join you too.”

And so these old sweethearts drank to each other.  And Macleod raised his glass too; and Miss White lowered her eyes, and perhaps flushed a little as she touched hers with her lips, for she had not often been asked to take a part in this old-fashioned ceremony.  But that was not the only custom they revived that evening.  After the banquet was over, and the ladies had got some light shawls and gone out into the mild summer night, and when the long marquee was cleared, and the band installed at the farther end, then there was a murmured talk of a minuet.  Who could dance it?  Should they try it?

“You know it?” said Macleod to Miss White.

“Yes,” said she looking down.

“Will you be my partner?”

“With pleasure,” she answered, but there was some little surprise in her voice which he at once detected.

“Oh,” said he, “the mother taught me when I was a child.  She and I used to have grand dances together.  And Hamish he taught me the sword-dance.”

“Do you know the sword-dance?” she said.

“Any one can know it,” said he; “it is more difficult to do it.  But at one time I could dance it with four of the thickest handled dirks instead of the two swords.”

“I hope you will show us your skill to-night,” she said, with a smile.

“Do you think any one can dance the sword-dance without the pipes?” said he, quite simply.

And now some of the younger people had made bold to try this minuet, and Macleod led his partner up to the head of the improvised ball-room, and the slow and graceful music began.  That was a pretty sight for those walking outside in the garden.  So warm was the night that the canvas of one side of the marquee had been removed, and those walking about in the dark outside could look into this gayly lighted place with the beautifully colored figures moving to the slow music.  And as they thus walked along the gravel-paths, or under the trees, the stems of which were decorated with spirals of colored lamps, a new light arose in the south to shed a further magic over the scene.  Almost red at first, the full moon cleared as it rose, until the trees and bushes were touched with a silver radiance, and the few people who walked about threw black shadows on the greensward and gravel.  In an arbor at the farthest end of the garden a number of Chinese lanterns shed a dim colored light on a table and a few rocking-chairs.  There were cigarettes on the table.