wful though remote possibility of his having
been, in some manner, insincere in his representations of Horace's
nature and character.

But then there was the letter from his friend which she had seen with
her own eyes, with the St. Petersburg mark, so familiar to her, on
the envelope, and which had been written by a person who could not
have known that she would ever see it. Surely that was enough to
settle all doubts as to the character and conduct of the man to whom
she had first pledged herself in marriage, and she had at least the
satisfaction of knowing that her present husband could be charged
with no such faults. His indifference to her sex was proverbial in
society, and that she alone, of all the women he had seen--so many of
whom had angled for him openly--had been able to do away with his
aversion to marriage was a tribute in which she could not help
feeling a certain pride, the more so as she saw every day new proofs
of his fastidiousness, as well as his importance.

So she stifled this dread suggestion and forced her thoughts into
other channels. This was to be more easily accomplished when her body
was actively employed; so she took long rides on horseback, attended
by a groom, or long walks in the park alone. In these walks Horace's
big dog Comrade would often join her. The creature had taken a fancy
to her, which seemed, in some strange way, to comfort her.

Besides these diversions, she had her large correspondence to dispose
of every day; for in her important position she had of course
established numberless points of contact with the world.

So the time went by until Lord Hurdly's return, and the day that
followed saw Kingdon Hall filled with guests. After that there were
few moments of reflection for its mistress, as the duty of doing the
honors of this great establishment demanded all her time.

CHAPTER VI

Bettina loved this power and importance. The drama of her present
life was like the unfolding, before her gaze, of a beautiful series
of pictures which she had conceived in her imagination, and which
some enchanter's word had turned into reality. The crowded functions
of the London season had somewhat palled upon her, though she had not
quite owned it to herself; but here she was the centre of the system,
the light around which these lesser lights revolved, and she seemed,
under these conditions, to shine with an increased radiance. Her
manners, where they differed from those of the