ng to explain to her that he would not
willingly have stood in the way of a friend whom he had loved, by
interfering with her husband's prospects. And yet she was told that
she was to think as her husband bade her think! She could not think
so. She could not say that she thought so. If her husband would
not credit her judgment, let the matter be referred to her father.
Ferdinand would at any rate acknowledge that her father could
understand such a matter even if she could not.

During dinner he said nothing on the subject, nor did she. They were
attended by a page in buttons whom he had hired to wait upon her,
and the meal passed off almost in silence. She looked up at him
frequently and saw that his brow was still black. As soon as they
were alone she spoke to him, having studied during dinner what words
she would first say: "Are you going down to the club to-night?" He
had told her that the matter of this election had been taken up at
the Progress, and that possibly he might have to meet two or three
persons there on this evening. There had been a proposition that
the club should bear a part of the expenditure, and he was very
solicitous that such an arrangement should be made.

"No," said he, "I shall not go out to-night. I am not sufficiently
light-hearted."

"What makes you heavy-hearted, Ferdinand?"

"I should have thought you would have known."

"I suppose I do know,--but I don't know why it should. I don't know
why you should be displeased. At any rate, I have done nothing
wrong."

"No;--not as to the letter. But it astonishes me that you should be
so--so bound to this man that--"

"Bound to him, Ferdinand!"

"No;--you are bound to me. But that you have so much regard for him
as not to see that he has grossly insulted you."

"I have a regard for him."

"And you dare to tell me so?"

"Dare! What should I be if I had any feeling which I did not dare to
tell you? There is no harm in regarding a man with friendly feelings
whom I have known since I was a child, and whom all my family have
loved."

"Your family wanted you to marry him!"

"They did. But I have married you, because I loved you. But I need
not think badly of an old friend, because I did not love him. Why
should you be angry with him? What can you have to be afraid of?"
Then she came and sat on his knee and caressed him.

"It is he that shall be afraid of me," said Lopez. "Let him give the
borough up if he means what he says."

"Who