of thing had not arrived.

When he started Evan honestly intended to go down in the Park and calm
himself with the exercise of walking. But unfortunately he had to pass
her door. In spite of himself he stopped there, and despising himself,
listened. He heard her say: "I won't sing to-night. I'm not in the
humour." Then he heard a man's voice low and urgent, and he saw red.
He knocked.

She came promptly and opened the door, opened it wide. She did not
quail when she saw his lowering face.

"Good evening," she said with the upward inflection meaning: "What do
you want?"

Her tone flatly denied their intimacy of the night before. This aspect
of a woman's nature was new to Evan; he was astonished and hotly
indignant.

"May I come in?" he asked stiffly.

"Certainly," she said promptly and indifferently, and threw the door
open wide.

Evan stepped in, and his eyes flew to find his rival. The latter was
sitting between the piano and the window. He was younger than Evan,
not much more than a lad in fact, but a resolute, comely lad; one of
whom Evan could be jealous.

"Mr. Weir, Mr. Anway," said Corinna impassively.

They nodded, eyeing each other like strange dogs. A factitious calm
descended on Evan. He could even smile, but there were ugly lines
around his mouth. His voice was harsh.

"Aren't we going to have some music?" he said.

By this he meant to convey to the other man that he was accustomed to
be entertained in that room. The point was not lost. The younger man
whitened about the lips. The girl gave no sign at all. Even in his
anger Evan commended her pluck. She kept her chin up; her eyes were
scornful.

"I'll play," she said going towards the piano.

"I like your singing better," said Evan.

"I am not in the humour," she said in a tone that finally disposed of
the question.

She played--what she played Evan never knew. It is doubtful if any of
them heard a note. Evan sat affecting to listen with a smile like a
grimace. The other man kept his eyes down. Whatever Corinna may have
been feeling, it did not interfere with the technical excellence of her
performance; her fingers danced like fairies over the keys, but
to-night there was no magic in the sounds they evoked.

Corinna's part was the easiest because she had something to do and
somewhere to look. She went from one piece to another without a word
being spoken. Evan went on smiling until his face was cracking; the
other