lkenstein now never sought a tete-a-tete.

One evening she met him at a dinner-party. With undisguised delight she
watched his entrance, and Waldemar, seeing her radiant face, thought in
his haste, "She is happy enough, what does she care for me?" If he had
looked at her after he had shaken hands carelessly with her, and turned
away to talk to another woman, he would have discovered his mistake. But
when do we ever discover half our errors before it is too late? She
signed to him to come to her under pretext of looking at some croquis,
and whispered hurriedly,

"Count Waldemar, what have I done--why do you never come to see me? You
are so changed, so altered----"

"I was not aware of it."

"But I never see you in the Gardens now. You never talk to me, you never
call on me."

"I have other engagements."

Valerie breathed hard between her set teeth.

"That are more agreeable to you, I suppose. You should not have
accustomed me to what you intended to withdraw when it ceased to amuse
you. _I_ am not so capricious. Your kindness about my play----"

"It was no kindness; I would have done the same for any one."

She looked at him fixedly.

"General kindness is no kindness," said Valerie, passionately. "If you
would do for a mere acquaintance what you would do for your friend, what
value attaches to your friendship?"

"I attach none to it," said the Count, coldly.

Valerie's little hands clenched hard. She did not speak, lest her
self-possession should give way, and just then D'Orwood came to give her
his arm in to dinner; and at dinner Valerie, demonstrative and candid as
she was, was gay and animated, for she could wear a mask in the bal
d'Opera of life as well as he; and though she could not believe the
coldness he testified was really meant, she felt bitterly the neglect of
his manner before others, at sight of which Bella's small eyes sparkled
with malicious satisfaction.

IV.

SOME GOLDEN FETTERS ARE SHAKEN OFF AND OTHERS ARE PUT ON.

"Mrs. Boville told me last night that Waldemar Falkenstein is so
dreadfully in debt, that she thinks he'll have to go into court--don't
they call it?" lisped Bella, the next morning; "be arrested, or
bankrupt, or something dreadful. Should you think it is true?"

"I know it's true," said Idiot Tweed, who was there, having a little
music before luncheon. "He's confoundedly hard up, poor devil."

"But I thought he was in such a good position--so well off?" said Be