esting women," Rochester remarked.

"And therefore, I suppose," Lady Mary said, "you men will all hate
him. Never mind, I have changed my opinion entirely. I think that he
is going to be an acquisition to the neighborhood, and I am going to
study occultism."

Rochester turned away with a barely concealed grimace. He went up to
Lois, calmly usurping Saton's place.

"My dear Lois," he said, as they fell behind a few paces, "so your
latest young man has been charming everybody."

"He is nice, isn't he?" she answered, turning to him a little
impulsively.

"Marvelously!" Rochester answered. "Hatefully so! Has he told you
anything, by the bye, about himself?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing that I can remember," she answered. "He is so clever," she
added, enthusiastically, "and he has explained all sorts of wonderful
things to me. If one had only brains," she continued, with a little
sigh, "there is so much to learn."

Rochester picked a great red rose and handed it to her.

"My dear child," he said, "there is nothing in knowledge so beautiful
as that flower. By the bye," he added, raising his voice to Saton, who
was just ahead, "I thought you were going to London to-day."

"I have put off my visit until to-morrow," Saton answered. "Your wife
has been kind enough to ask me to dine."

Rochester nodded. He carefully avoided endorsing the invitation.

"By the bye," he remarked, "we had the pleasure of directing a lady in
distress to your house this morning."

Saton paused for a moment before he answered.

"I am very much obliged to you," he said.

He offered no explanation. Rochester, with a little shrug of the
shoulders, rejoined Pauline. Lady Mary was called away to receive some
visitors, and for the first time Lois and Saton were alone.

"Mr. Rochester has taken a dislike to me," he said quietly.

Lois was distressed.

"I wonder why," she said. "As a rule he is so indifferent to people."

Saton shook his head a little sadly.

"I cannot tell," he answered. "Certainly I cannot think of anything I
have done to offend him. But I am nearly always unfortunate. The
people whom I would like to have care about me, as a rule don't."

"There are exceptions," she murmured.

She met his eyes, and looked away. He smiled softly to himself. Women
had looked away from him before like that!

"Fortunately," he continued, "Lady Mary seems to be a little more
gracious. It was very kind of her to ask me to dine to-night