s Mr. Arkwright to you, my dear? You may be sure that Mr.
Arkwright's time is not being wasted. If his mamma knew what he was
doing she would be quite satisfied--oh, quite. In quarter of an hour."

He was leaving the room, but paused at the door, with a suspicious look.

"Miss May, it is a pity for you to go away. It will do you good to see
your sister, I am sure. Pray spend the day with us. Now, my lady, waste
no more time."

With that he finally departed. Adelaide's face was white, but she did
not address me. She rang for her maid.

"Dress my hair, Toinette, and do it as quickly as possible. Is my dress
ready?" was all she said.

"_Mais oui, madame._"

"Quick!" she repeated. "You have only quarter of an hour."

Despite the suppressed cries, expostulations, and announcements that it
was impossible, Adelaide was dressed in quarter of an hour.

"You will stay, May?" said she; and I knew it was only the presence of
Toinette which restrained her from urgently imploring me to stay.

I remained, though not all day; only until it was time to go and have my
lesson from von Francius. During my stay, however, I had ample
opportunity to observe how things were.

Sir Peter appeared to have lighted upon a congenial occupation somewhat
late in life, or perhaps previous practice had made him an adept in it.
His time was fully occupied in carrying out a series of experiments upon
his wife's pride, with a view to humble and bring it to the ground. If
he did not fully succeed in that, he succeeded in making her hate him as
scarcely ever was man hated before.

They had now been married some two or three months, and had forsworn all
semblance of a pretense at unity or concord. She thwarted him as much as
she could, and defied him as far as she dared. He played round and round
his victim, springing upon her at last, with some look, or word, or
hint, or smile, which meant something--I know not what--that cowed her.

Oh, it was a pleasant household!--a cheerful, amiable scene of connubial
love, in which this fair woman of two-and-twenty found herself, with
every prospect of its continuing for an indefinite number of years; for
the Le Marchants were a long-lived family, and Sir Peter ailed nothing.

CHAPTER XXV.

"Wenn Menschen aus einander gehen,
So sagen sie, Auf Wiedersehen!
Auf Wiedersehen!"

Eugen had said, "Very soon--it may be weeks, it may be days," and had
begged me not to inquire further into the matte