re she was concerned, and love can forgive almost any conduct
where there is personal indulgence. I had a glimpse of the real state
of things in a roundabout way. Henderson loved his wife and was proud of
her, and he was not unkind, but he might have been a brute and tied her
up to the bedpost, and she never would have shown by the least sign to
the world that she was not the most happy of wives.

When the Earl of Chisholm was in this country it was four years after
Margaret's marriage--we naturally saw a great deal of him. The young
fellow whom we liked so much had become a man, with a graver demeanor,
and I thought a trace of permanent sadness in his face; perhaps it was
only the responsibility of his position, or, as Morgan said, the modern
weight that must press upon an earl who is conscientious. He was still
unmarried. The friendship between him and Miss Forsythe, which had
been kept alive by occasional correspondence, became more cordial and
confidential. In New York he had seen much of Margaret, not at all to
his peace of mind in many ways, though the generous fellow would have
been less hurt if he had not estimated at its real value the life she
was leading. It did not need Margaret's introduction for the earl to be
sought for by the novelty and pleasure loving society of the city; but
he got, as he confessed, small satisfaction out of the whirl of it,
although we knew that he met Mrs. Henderson everywhere, and in a manner
assisted in her social triumphs. But he renewed his acquaintance with
Miss Eschelle, and it was the prattle of this ingenuous creature that
made him more heavy-hearted than anything else.

"How nice it is of you, Mr. Lyon--may I call you so, to bring back the
old relations?--to come here and revive the memory of the dear old days
when we were all innocent and happy! Dear me, I used to think I could
patronize that little country girl from Brandon! I was so worldly--don't
you remember?--and she was so good. And now she is such a splendid
woman, it is difficult for the rest of us to keep pace with her. The
nerve she has, and the things she will do! I just envy her. I sometimes
think she will drive me into a convent. And don't you think she is more
beautiful than ever? Of course her face is a little careworn, but nobody
makes up as she does; she was just ravishing the other night. Do you
know, I think she takes her husband too seriously."

"I trust she is happy," the earl had said.

"Why should