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34 kept his eyes fixed on them. Letty thought it was very bad manners.

"At Corbin Hall," she thought bitterly, "a stranger would have been overwhelmed with kind attentions"; but apparently at Newport a stranger had no rights that a cottager was bound to respect.

"The fact is, Miss Cornwell," said the man, in the studied, low voice of the "smart set," "I've been nearly run off my legs this week by Sir Archy Corbin. He's the greatest fellow for doing things I ever saw in my life. And he positively gives a man no rest at all. We 've always been good friends, but I shall have to 'cut him' if this thing keeps up."

The lie in this statement was not in the least obvious to Letty, but was perfectly so to the young women, who knew there was not the remotest chance of Sir Archy Corbin being cut by any of their set. The name, though, at once struck Letty, and her mobile face showed that she was interested in the subject.

"Will he be at the meet on Thursday, Mr. Woodruff?" asked the girl, suddenly dropping her waving fan and indolent manner, and showing great animation. At this, Woodruff answered with a slightly embarrassed smile: