quite impracticable."

"I merely smiled," she said, "sweetly, as I thought."

"It is really cruel; I have not had a word with you for days, and the
universe has become a wilderness."

"A pleasant wilderness," she observed, looking round.

"Nature is a delightful background, but a poor subject."

"Do you think so? I often fancy one's general outlook would be nicer, if
one had an indistinct human background and a clear foreground of
unspoiled Nature. But that may be a jaundiced view."

Hadria went off to meet Lady Engleton, who was coming down the avenue
with Madame Bertaux. Professor Theobald instinctively began to follow
and then stopped, reddening, as he met the glance of Miss Temperley. He
flung himself into conversation with her, and became especially animated
when he was passing Hadria, who did not appear to notice him. As both
Professors were to leave Craddock Dene at the end of the week, this was
the last meeting in the Priory gardens.

Miss Temperley found Professor Theobald entertaining, but at times a
little incoherent.

"Why, there is Miss Du Prel!" exclaimed Henriette. "What an erratic
person she is. She went to London the day before yesterday, and now she
turns up suddenly without a word of warning."

This confirmed Professor Theobald's suspicions that something serious
was going on at the Red House.

Valeria explained her return to Hadria, by saying that she had felt so
nervous about what the latter might be going to attempt, that she had
come back to see if she could be of help, or able to ward off any rash
adventure.

There was a pleasant open space among the shrubberies, where several
seats had been placed to command a dainty view of the garden and lawns,
with the house in the distance, and here the party gradually converged,
in desultory fashion, coming up and strolling off again, as the fancy
inspired them.

Cigars were lighted, and a sense of sociability and enjoyment suffused
itself, like a perfume, among the group.

Lady Engleton was delighted to see Miss Du Prel again. She did so want
to continue the hot discussion they were having at the Red House that
afternoon, when Mr. Temperley _would_ be so horridly logical. He smiled
and twisted his moustache.

"We were interrupted by some caller, and had to leave the argument at a
most exciting moment."

"An eternally interesting subject!" said Temperley; "what woman is, what
she is not."

"My dread is that presently, the need for diss