afterward she produced her first
Celebros. Each of them had, and has, a gold ribbon round it, bearing the
legend, 'Non plus ultra.' She was shy and timid at that time, and I
thought it very brave of her to go into the shop herself and ask for
the Celebros, as advertised; so I thanked her warmly. When she saw me
slipping them into my pocket she looked disappointed, and said that she
would like to see me smoking one. My reply would have been that I never
cared to smoke in the open air, if she had not often seen me do so.
Besides, I wanted to please her very much; and if what I did was weak I
have been severely punished for it. The pocket into which I had thrust
the Celebros also contained my cigar-case; and with my hand in the
pocket I covertly felt for a Villar y Villar and squeezed it into the
envelope. This I then drew forth, took out the cigar, as distinguished
from the Celebros, and smoked it with unfeigned content. My wife watched
me eagerly, asking six or eight times how I liked it. From the way she
talked of fine rich bouquet and nutty flavor I gathered that she had
been in conversation with the tobacconist, and I told her the cigars
were excellent. Yes, they were as choice a brand as I had ever smoked.
She clapped her hands joyously at that, and said that if she had not
made up her mind never to do so she would tell me what they cost. Next
she asked me to guess the price; I answered eighty shillings a hundred;
and then she confessed that she got the seven for a shilling. On our way
home she made arch remarks about men who judged cigars simply by their
price. I laughed gayly in reply, begging her not to be too hard on me;
and I did not even feel uneasy when she remarked that of course I would
never buy those horridly expensive Villar y Villars again. When I left
her I gave the Celebros to an acquaintance against whom I had long had
a grudge--we have not spoken since--but I preserved the envelope as a
pretty keepsake. This, you see, happened shortly before our marriage.

[Illustration]

"I have had a consignment of Celebros every month or two since then,
and, dispose of them quietly as I may, they are accumulating in the
cupboard. I despise myself; but my guile was kindly meant at first,
and every thoughtful man will see the difficulties in the way of a
confession now. Who can say what might happen if I were to fling that
cupboard door open in presence of my wife? I smoke less than I used
to do; for if I were to