me this?"

"You know he didn't."

"Then whose envoy are you? Ah! perhaps you are Claudia Territon's chosen
knight?"

"Not at all," said Ayre, still unruffled. "I have had no communication
with Lady Claudia--a fact of which you have no right to affect doubt."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I mean you must release Eugene."

"Pray tell me why," asked she calmly, but with a calm only obtained
after effort.

"Because it is not usual--and in this matter it seems to me usage is
right--it is not usual for a young lady to be engaged to two men at
once."

"You are merely insolent. I will wish you good-morning."

"I am glad you understand my insinuation. Explanations are so tedious.
Where are you going, Miss Bernard?"

"Home."

"Then I must tell Eugene?"

"Tell him what you like." But she sat down again.

"You are engaged to Eugene?"

"Of course."

"You are also engaged to Spencer Haddington."

"It's untrue; you know it's untrue. Are you an old woman, to think a
girl can't speak to a man without being engaged to him?"

"I must congratulate you on your liberality of view, Miss Bernard. I
had hardly given you credit for it. But you know it isn't untrue. You
are under a promise to give Haddington your hand in three months: not,
mark you, a conditional promise--an absolute promise."

"That is not a happy guess."

"It's not a guess at all. No doubt you mean it to be conditional. He
understood, and you meant him to understand, it as an absolute promise."

"How dare you accuse me of such things?"

"Nothing short of absolute knowledge would so far embolden me."

"Absolute knowledge?"

"Yes, last night."

Kate's rage carried her away. She turned on him in fury.

"You listened!"

"Yes, I listened."

"Is that what a gentleman does?"

"As a rule, it is not."

"I despise you for a mean dastard! I have no more to say to you."

"Come, Miss Bernard, let us be reasonable. We are neither of us
blameless."

"Do you think Eugene would listen to such a tale? And such a person?"

"He might and he might not. But Haddington would."

"What could you tell him?"

"I could tell him that you're making a fool of him--keeping him
dangling on till you have arranged the other affair one way or the
other. What would he say then?"

Kate knew that Haddington was already tried to the uttermost. She knew
what he would say.

"You see I could--if you'll allow me the metaphor--blow you out of the
water."

"You daren't con