. At any rate he did know the
truth, and no concealment could any longer be of service to Cecilia.
It was evident that the way was open to her now, and that she could
tell all that she knew without any breach of confidence.

Sir Francis, when he left her, was quite determined to carry his
project through. Cecilia had thrown him over with most abominable
unconcern and self-sufficiency. He had intended to honour her and
she had monstrously dishonoured him. He had endeavoured to escape
this by taking upon himself falsely the fault of having been the
first to break their engagement. But there was a doubt as to this
point, and people said that he had been jilted--much to his disgust.
He was determined to be revenged,--or, as he said to himself, "he had
made up his mind that the broad truth should be known." It certainly
would be the "broad truth" if he could make Mr. Western understand
the relations on which he, Sir Francis, had but a few months before
stood in regard to his wife. "Honesty," he said to himself, "demanded
it."

Miss Altifiorla, he thought, was by no means an unpleasant young
woman with whom to have an intrigue. She had good looks of her
own, though they were thin and a little pinched. She was in truth
thirty-five years old, but she did not quite look it. She had a
certain brightness of eye when she was awakened to enthusiasm, and
she knew how to make the best of herself. She could whisper and
be--or pretend to be--secret. She had about her, at her command, a
great air of special friendship. She had not practised it much with
men as yet, but there was no reason why she should not do so with
advantage. She felt herself already quite on intimate terms with Sir
Francis; and of Sir Francis it may be said, that he was sufficiently
charmed with Miss Altifiorla to find it expedient to go and see her
off from the Waterloo Station.

He found Dick Ross at his club and lunched with him. "You're just up
from the Criterion," said Dick.

"Yes; I went down for the sake of renewing an old acquaintance, and I
renewed it."

"You've been persecuting that unfortunate young woman."

"Why a young woman should be thought unfortunate because she
marries such a pink of perfection as Mr. Western, and avoids such a
scapegrace as I am, I cannot conceive."

"She's unfortunate because you mean to bully her. Why can't you leave
her alone? She has had her chance of war, and you have had yours, and
he has had his. As far as I can se