"You saw her?" he asked with a touch of bitterness. "I won't ask what
you thought of her."

"I knew her by her eyes," cried Catherine. "I thought she meant to shoot
you, and when you came in I was just going to warn you. Now you see,
Esther, I was right."

Wharton leaned over and took Catherine's hand. "Thank you," said he. "I
believe you are my good angel. But you remind me of what I came to say.
The woman is quite capable of that or of any other scandal, and of
course Hazard's church must not be exposed to such a risk. I shall come
here no longer for the present, neither must you. I am bound to take
care of my friends."

"But you!" said Esther. "What are you going to do?"

"I? Nothing! What can I do?"

"Do you mean," said Catherine, with a comical fierceness in her voice as
though she wanted herself to take the French actress in hand, "do you
mean to let that woman worry you how she likes?"

"The fault was mine," replied Wharton. "I gave her my life. After all
she is my wife and I can't help it. I have promised to meet her this
afternoon at my studio."

Even to these two girls there was something so helpless in Wharton's
ideas of life that they protested against his conduct. Catherine was
speechless with inability to understand what he meant. Esther boldly
interfered.

"You must do nothing without advice," said she. "Wait till Mr. Hazard
comes and consult him. If you can't see him, promise me to go to my
uncle, Mr. Murray, and let him take charge of this woman. You will ruin
your whole life if you let her into it again."

"It is ruined already," answered Wharton gloomily. "I had that one
chance of happiness and I can never have another."

Nevertheless he promised to wait for Hazard, and the two girls
obediently bade him good-by. Catherine's eyes were full of tears as he
held her hand and begged her pardon for his rudeness. A little romance
was passing out of her life. She went down the stairs after Esther
without a word. As they left the church they saw the woman on the
pavement outside, still walking up and down; Catherine passed her with a
glance of repulsion and defiance that made the woman turn and watch her
till they disappeared down the avenue.

An hour afterwards a quick step hurried up the stair, and Hazard,
evidently much disturbed, appeared on the scaffolding. He found Wharton
where the two girls had left him, sitting alone before St. Cecilia, the
broken brush still in his hands, and his le