of her lover on that day when I had fled
from the report of the Committee on Permanent Organization. It was the
Empress Josephine, I had known that--and her Sir John!

Then I thought of her flying from him into the street, and the little
bowed head on the street-car; and the old pity for her, the old
bitterness toward him, returned upon me. I wondered how he could speak
to her in this nonchalant way; what they were saying to each other;
whether they would ever refer to that night at Auriccio's; what Alice
would think of him if she ever found it out; whether he was a villain,
or only erred passionately; what was actually said in that palm alcove
that night so long ago; whether this man, with the eyes and voice so
fascinating to women, would renew his suit in this new life of ours;
what Jim would think about it; and, more than all, how Josie herself
would regard him.

"She ought never to have spoken to him again!" I hear some one say.

Ah, Madam, very true. But do you remember any authentic case of a woman
who failed to forgive the man whose error or offense had for its excuse
the irresistible attraction of her own charms?

They were coming back now, still talking.

"You dropped out of sight, like a partridge into a thicket," said he.
"Some of them said you had gone back to--to--"

"To the farm," she prompted.

"Well, yes," he conceded; "and others said you had left Chicago for New
York; and some, even Paris."

"I fail to see the warrant," said Josie, as they approached the limit of
earshot, "for any of the people at Madame Lamoreux's giving themselves
the trouble to investigate."

"So far as that is concerned," said he, "I should think that I--" and
his voice quite lost intelligibility.

My cigar had gone out, and the cessation of the music ought to have
apprised me of the breaking up of the dance, and still I lay looking at
the sky and filled with my thoughts.

"Here he is," said Alice, "asleep in the hammock! For shame, Albert!
This would not have occurred, once!"

"I am free to admit that," said I, "but why am I now disturbed?"

"We're going on a cruise in the gondola," said Antonia, "and Mr. Elkins
says you are lieutenant, and we can't sail without you. Come, it's
perfectly beautiful out there."

"We're going to the head of navigation and back," said Jim, "and then
our revels will be ended. --Hang it!" to me, "they left the skull and
crossbones off all the flags!"

Mr. Barr-Smith at once engaged th