ty, his eyes on the floor. Julie Le
Breton, on the contrary, was looking at him--looking with all her soul,
her ardent, unhappy soul--unconscious of aught else in the wide world.

"Good God! she is in love with him!" was the thought that rushed through
Sir Wilfrid's mind. "Poor thing! Poor thing!"

* * * * *

Sir Wilfrid outstayed his fellow-guests. By seven o'clock all were gone.
Mademoiselle Le Breton had retired. He and Lady Henry were left alone.

"Shut the doors!" she said, peremptorily, looking round her as the last
guest disappeared. "I must have some private talk with you. Well, I
understand you walked home from the Crowboroughs' the other night
with--that woman."

She turned sharply upon him. The accent was indescribable. And with a
fierce hand she arranged the folds of her own thick silk dress, as
though, for some relief to the stormy feeling within, she would rather
have torn than smoothed it.

Sir Wilfrid seated himself beside her, knees crossed, finger-tips
lightly touching, the fair eyelashes somewhat lowered--Calm
beside Tempest.

"I am sorry to hear you speak so," he said, gravely, after a pause.
"Yes, I talked with her. She met me very fairly, on the whole. It seemed
to me she was quite conscious that her behavior had not been always what
it should be, and that she was sincerely anxious to change it. I did my
best as a peacemaker. Has she made no signs since--no advances?"

Lady Henry threw out her hand in disdain.

"She confessed to me that she had pledged a great deal of the time for
which I pay her to Evelyn Crowborough's bazaar, and asked what she was
to do. I told her, of course, that I would put up with nothing of
the kind."

"And were more annoyed, alack! than propitiated by her confession?" said
Sir Wilfrid, with a shrug.

"I dare say," said Lady Henry. "You see, I guessed that it was not
spontaneous; that you had wrung it out of her."

"What else did you expect me to do?" cried Sir Wilfrid. "I seem, indeed,
to have jolly well wasted my time."

"Oh no. You were very kind. And I dare say you might have done some
good. I was beginning to--to have some returns on myself, when the
Duchess appeared on the scene."

"Oh, the little fool!" ejaculated Sir Wilfrid, under his breath.

"She came, of course, to beg and protest. She offered me her valuable
services for all sorts of superfluous things that I didn't want--if only
I would spare her Julie for this