e said hastily.

He looked at her closely and she averted her eyes. Mr. Jeffries often
wondered if he had made a mistake. He felt that this woman to whom he
had given his name did not love him, but his vanity as much as his pride
prevented him from acknowledging it, even to himself. After all, what
did he care? She was a companion, she graced his home and looked after
his creature comforts. Perhaps no reasonable man should expect anything
more. Carelessly, he asked:

"Whom do you expect to-night?"

"Oh, the usual crowd," replied Alicia languidly. "Dr. Bernstein is
coming--you know he's quite the rage just now. He has to do with
psychology and all that sort of thing."

"So, he's your lion to-night, is he?" smiled the banker. Then he went
on:

"By the bye, I met Brewster at the club to-night. He promised to drop
in."

Now it was Alicia's turn to smile. It was not everybody who could boast
of having such a distinguished lawyer as Judge Brewster on their calling
lists. To-night would certainly be a success--two lions instead of one.
For the moment she forgot her worry.

"I am delighted that the judge is coming," she exclaimed, her face
beaming. "Every one is talking about him since his brilliant speech for
the defense in that murder case."

The banker noted his wife's beautiful hair and the white transparency of
her skin. His gaze lingered on the graceful lines of her neck and bosom,
glittering with precious stones. An exquisite aroma exuding from her
person reached where he stood. His eyes grew more ardent and, passing
his arm affectionately around her slender waist, he asked:

"How does my little girl like her tiara?"

"It's very nice. Don't you see I'm wearing it to-night?" she replied
almost impatiently and drawing herself away.

Before Mr. Jeffries had time to reply there was a commotion at the other
end of the reception room, where rich tapestries screened off the main
entrance hall. The butler drew the curtains aside.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cortwright," he announced loudly.

Alicia went forward, followed by her husband, to greet her guests.

CHAPTER IV.

The richly decorated reception rooms, brilliantly illuminated with soft
incandescent lights artistically arranged behind banks of flowers, were
filled with people. In the air was the familiar buzz always present in a
room where each person is trying to speak at the same time. On all sides
one heard fragments of inept conversation.

"So good of yo