dget knew all
about the rooms, which Mark began rather eagerly to describe. It was
obvious, however, that he was impatient to get away, and Carrissima,
raising her eyes abruptly, intercepted a curiously entreating glance
from him to Bridget, who at once held out her hand.

"Shall you be at home this evening?" he asked, turning to Carrissima
the next moment.

Although she would infinitely have preferred to say "no," to avoid
seeing him again, indeed, as long as the world lasted, she felt afraid
lest she should awaken a suspicion of her enlightenment. It seemed
inevitable that she must continue to meet him in the future as she had
done in the past, and, perhaps, the sooner the next encounter took
place the better!

"Oh yes, I think so," she answered. "Shall I see you?"

"I--I thought of looking you up after dinner," said Mark, and the
moment he had left the room Miller, with his usual inscrutable face,
brought in the tea. Not for the world would Carrissima cut short her
visit, and for another quarter of an hour or more she sat listening to
Bridget's inquiries concerning Mark's new quarters and his plans for
the future.

"I had no idea that he had left Duffield's Hotel," she said presently.
"Mark is a dreadful truant. He never comes near me now! I suppose,"
she added, "he is a great friend of Jimmy's?"

"They and Lawrence were at school together at Brighton," replied
Carrissima, and now she thought she might safely say "good-bye."

Bridget seemed unwilling to release her hand, as they stood together on
almost the same spot where Carrissima had seen Miss Rosser in Mark's
arms! She looked down at her guest furtively, as if she were unable to
make up her mind about something. Perhaps, thought Carrissima, she was
wondering whether or not it were desirable to do anything further to
remove any possible suspicion! Still, Bridget said nothing unusual,
and having once more thanked Carrissima for the roses she insisted on
going to see her out of the house.

What a joy it was to breathe the uncontaminated air again! Carrissima
walked in the direction of Grandison Square with her mind in a tumult.
Her god had fallen! She was far too wildly excited to be capable of
anything resembling a sane view of the maddening situation! She longed
above all things to reach home, to run up-stairs to her own room, to
lock the door, to be away from all mankind.

The pressing question was not whether Mark loved Bridget. That had