uetry faded from her smile, and there was a perceptible
contraction of the brows. Her eyes, which were looking into mine,
shifted to the back of the groom. No, I shall never understand a
woman. She should have been the most sympathetic woman in the world,
yet she appeared to be annoyed.

"What's all this between you and Phyllis?" asked Ethel, coming up.

"There is nothing between her and me," said I.

"Well, there should be," she retorted. "That is the trouble."

My observation was: "I have always held that immediately a woman gets
married she makes it her business to see that all old bachelors are
lugged out and disposed of to old maids."

"I shall never forgive that," Phyllis declared; "never."

"Then I shall always have the exquisite pleasure of being a supplicant
for your pardon. It is delightful to sue pardon of a beautiful woman."

Phyllis sniffed.

"Forgive him at once," said Ethel, "if only for that pretty speech."

Mr. Holland pulled out his watch suggestively.

"Well," I said, "I see that I am keeping you from your lunch. Good-by,
then, till dinner, when I shall continue at length on the evils--"

"William," interrupted Ethel, addressing the groom, "drive on."

And so they left us.

"Shall we go to lunch now?" I asked of Pembroke.

"Yes," rather dreamily I thought. "Do you know," with sudden
animation, "she is a remarkably beautiful woman?"

"Yes, she is." After all, the sight of Phyllis had rather upset me.

"I had a glimpse of her in Vienna last winter," went on Pembroke. "I
never knew who she was."

"Vienna!" I exclaimed.

"Yes. It was at a concert. Her face was indelibly graven on my
memory. I asked a neighbor who she was, but when I went to point her
out she was gone. I should like to see more of her."

So Gretchen had been in Vienna, and poor Hillars had never known!

I took Pembroke to the club that afternoon, and we dallied in the
billiard room till time to dress for dinner. Dinner came. But Phyllis
forgot to ask me about the story, at which I grew puzzled, considering
what I know of woman's curiosity. And she devoted most of her time to
Pembroke, who did not mind. Later we went to the theatre--some
production of Gilbert and Sullivan. Whenever I glanced at Phyllis I
fell to wondering how Gretchen would have looked in evening dress.
Yes, Phyllis was certainly beautiful, uncommonly. For years I had
worshipped at her shrine, and then--how little we know of the hea