et. He also took his own pen, for he was particular in matters
appertaining to the mechanics of writing, and very neat in all he did.

He went out and wandered up and down the terrace in the heat, but no one
was there. Then he knocked at his wife's door, and found her absorbed in
an interesting conversation with her maid in regard to matters of dress,
as connected with climate. Lady Johnstone at once appealed to him, and
the maid eyed him with suspicion, fearing his suggestions. He satisfied
her, however, by immediately suggesting that she should go away, whereat
she smiled and departed.

Lady Johnstone at once understood that something very serious was in the
air. A wonderful good fellowship existed between husband and wife; but
they very rarely talked of anything which could not have been discussed,
figuratively, on the housetops.

"Brook has got himself into a scrape with that Mrs. Crosby, my dear,"
said Sir Adam. "What you heard is all more or less true. She has really
been to a solicitor, and means to take steps to get a divorce. Of course
she could get it easily enough. If she did, people would say that Brook
had let her go that far, telling her that he would marry her, and then
had changed his mind and left her to her fate. We can't let that happen,
you know."

Lady Johnstone looked at her husband with anxiety while he was
speaking, and then was silent for a few seconds.

"Oh, you Johnstones! You Johnstones!" she cried at last, shaking her
head. "You're perfectly incorrigible!"

"Oh no, my dear," answered Sir Adam; "don't forget me, you know."

"You, Adam!"

Her tone expressed an extraordinary conflict of varying
sentiment--amusement, affection, reproach, a retrospective distrust of
what might have been, but could not be, considering Sir Adam's age.

"Never mind me, then," he answered. "I've made a will cutting Brook off
with nothing if he marries Mrs. Crosby, and I'm going to send her a copy
of it to-day. That will be enough, I fancy."

"Adam!"

"Yes--what? Do you disapprove? You always say that you are a practical
woman, and you generally show that you are. Why shouldn't I take the
practical method of stopping this woman as soon as possible? She wants
my money--she doesn't want my son. A fortune with any other name would
smell as sweet."

"Yes--but--"

"But what?"

"I don't know--it seems--somehow--" Lady Johnstone was perplexed to
express what she meant just then. "I mean," she added suddenly