ms--tolerably familiar terms--with Mr. Walcott?"

This was in true forensic style; but of course Sydney could not have
made a greater mistake than by entering solemnly, yet abruptly, on so
delicate a matter. Lettice was in arms at once.

"Stay a moment, Sydney. You said this was to be a painful subject to me,
and then you mention the name of Mr. Walcott. I do not understand."

"Well!" said Sydney, somewhat disconcerted; "I don't know what made me
conclude that it would be painful. I did not mean to say that. I am very
glad it is not so."

He stopped to cough, then looked out of the window, and softly whistled
to himself. Lettice, meanwhile, cast about hastily in her mind for the
possible bearing of what her brother might have to say. She was about to
take advantage of his blunder, and decline to hear anything further; but
for more than one reason which immediately occurred to her, she thought
that it would be better to let him speak.

"I do not think you could have any ground for supposing that such a
subject would be specially painful to me; but never mind that. What were
you going to say?"

Now it was Sydney's turn to be up in arms, for he felt sure that Lettice
was acting a part.

"What I know for a fact," he said, "is that you have seen a good deal of
Mr. Walcott during the past six months, and that people have gone so far
as to remark on your--on his manifest preference for your company. I
want to say that there are grave reasons why this should not be
permitted to go on."

Lettice bit her lip sharply, but said nothing.

"Do you know," Sydney continued, becoming solemn again as he prepared to
hurl his thunderbolts, "that Mr. Walcott is a married man?"

"Whether I know it or not, I do not acknowledge your right to ask me the
question."

"I ask it by the right of a brother. Do you know that if he is not a
married man, he is something infinitely worse? That the last time his
wife was seen in his company, they went on a lonely walk together, and
he came back again without her?"

"How do you know this?" Lettice asked him faintly. He set down her
agitation to the wrong cause, and thought that his design was
succeeding.

"I know it from the man who was most intimately connected with Walcott
at the time. And I heard it at my club--in the course of the same
conversation in which your name was mentioned. Think what that means to
me! However, it may not have gone too far if we are careful to avoid
this man in