ept to her? She suspected the
woman of a desire to make mischief. She felt confident that the woman
would do so unless repressed by the extraction from her of a promise
to the contrary. She did believe that the woman would keep her
word,--that she would feel herself bound to preserve herself from the
accusation of direct falsehood; but from her good feeling, from her
kindness, from her affection, from that feminine bond which ought to
have made her silent, she expected nothing. "Your duty, Francesca,
in this matter is to me," said Mrs. Western, assuming a wonderful
severity of manner. "You have known me many years and are bound to me
by many ties. I tell you what my wishes are. I cannot quite explain
my reasons, but I do not doubt that you will guess them."

"You have kept the secret?" said Miss Altifiorla with a devilish
mixture of malice, fun, and cunning.

"It does not matter what I have done. There are reasons, which made
me wish to avoid your immediate coming. At the present moment it
would interfere gravely with his happiness and with mine were he
to learn the circumstances of Sir Francis Geraldine's courtship.
Of course it is painful to me to have to say this to you. It is so
painful that to avoid it I have absolutely written to you telling you
not to come. This I have done not to avoid your coming, which would
otherwise have been a pleasure to me, but to save myself from this
great pain. Now you know it all, and know also what it is that I
expect from you."

Miss Altifiorla listened to this in silence. She was seated in
an easy bedroom chair, clothed from head to foot in a pale pink
dressing-gown, from which the colour was nearly washed out; and her
hair as I have said was "half done." But in her trouble to collect
her thoughts she became quite unaware of all accessories. Her dear
friend Cecilia had put the matter to her so strongly that she did
not quite dare to refuse. But yet what a fund of gratification might
there not be in telling such a story under such circumstances to
the husband! She sat silent for a while meditating on it, till Mrs.
Western roughly forced a reply from her lips. "I desire to have your
promise," said Mrs. Western.

"Oh, yes, of course."

"You will carefully avoid all allusion to the subject."

"Since you wish it, I will do so."

"That is sufficient. And now good-night."

"I know that I am doing wrong," said Miss Altifiorla.

"You would indeed be doing wrong," said Mrs. Weste