aced sense of chivalry--offered himself up
as a sacrifice as it were. I understood then why Marion had written so
much about luggage and nothing about connubial bliss--the union was
bound to turn out a ghastly failure under such circumstances. Worst of
all, I, quite unconsciously, had aided and abetted the whole
disgraceful scheme.

'Elizabeth!' I exclaimed at last in dismay, 'you shameless, intriguing
creature, I will never forgive you for this. You have ruined two
lives, and I am involved in it as well. The only thing to do is to
explain the whole situation to Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings when they come
to-day.'

She changed colour. 'You'd never do that, 'm.'

'I shall tell them everything. It will, at any rate, help them to
begin life on a different understanding.'

'But what good will that do, 'm? It'll upset everything an' lead to
goodness knows wot.'

'It may lead to a judicial separation, of course,' I replied, 'but my
duty in this case is perfectly clear. There is only one thing to be
done.'

I have never seen the girl so genuinely distressed. 'I wouldn't do it,
if I wos you, I wouldn't indeed. If you must tell 'em, wait a year or
two, till they've settled down----'

A loud knock on the door interrupted her. 'There they are now,' I
remarked. 'And no matter what you say I shall explain everything
before they leave to-day. They shall know how they've been hoodwinked.'

'Orl right, then,' said Elizabeth, 'an' let the consingquences be on
your own head. You'll see 'ow they'll take it.' And darting defiant
looks, she went to open the door.

The next moment Marion was enfolded in my arms. Then I turned to greet
William. As I did so the words of welcome died on my lips and I stood
staring at him in puzzled wonder.

'Why, what has happened to you?' I asked.

He grinned. 'Don't you like me as I am at present?'

I did not, but thought it polite to refrain from saying so. He had
gone back to his former state of fuzziness, and looked more like Rip
van Winkle than ever. Indeed, his beard seemed even more fierce and
bristly than in the old days--probably shaving had tended to strengthen
the roots.

'How do you do, William?' I said, extending my hand, deciding as I did
so that I would not give him any other kind of salute after all. Yet
it was with a tinge of regret I thought of that nice mouth of his
hidden under such a rank undergrowth of whisker.

Marion looked on complacently as I greeted h