She opened the ball with young Herbert Fitzgerald the heir; and in about an hour afterwards she danced again with Owen.

He did not ask her twice; but he asked her daughter three or four times, and three or four times he asked her successfully.
"Clara," whispered the mother to her child, after the last of these occasions, giving some little pull or twist to her girl's frock as she did so, "you had better not dance with Owen Fitzgerald again to-night.

People will remark about it." "Will they ?" said Clara, and immediately sat down, checked in her young happiness.
Not many minutes afterwards, Owen came up to her again.

"May we have another waltz together, I wonder ?" he said.
"Not to-night, I think.

I am rather tired already." And so she did not waltz again all the evening, for fear she should offend him.
But the countess, though she had thus interdicted her daughter's dancing with the master of Hap House, had not done so through any absolute fear.