trange habit of
expanding and contracting without apparent reason.

Gazing at her, Philip was at a loss to know whether this woman so
bizarrely beautiful fascinated or repelled him; indeed, neither then
nor at any future time did he succeed in deciding the question. Whilst
he was still contemplating, and wondering how Bellamy of all people in
the world had managed to marry such a woman, and what previous
acquaintance George had had with her, he saw the lady whisper
something to his cousin, who at once turned and introduced him.

"Philip," he said, "let me introduce you to the most charming lady of
my acquaintance, Mrs. Bellamy."

Philip bowed and expressed himself delighted, whilst the lady curtsied
with a mixture of grace and dignity that became her infinitely well.

"Your cousin has often spoken to me of you, Mr. Caresfoot, but he
never told me----" here she hesitated, and broke off.

"What did he never tell you, Mrs. Bellamy? Nothing to my disadvantage,
I hope."

"On the contrary, if you wish to know," she said, in that tone of
flattering frankness which is sometimes so charming in a woman's
mouth, "he never told me that you were young and handsome. I fancied
you forty at least."

"I should dearly like to tell you, Mrs. Bellamy, what my cousin George
never told _me_; but I won't, for fear I should make Bellamy jealous."

"Jealousy, Mr. Caresfoot, is a luxury that _my_ husband is not allowed
to indulge in; it is very well for lovers, but what is a compliment in
a lover becomes an impertinence in a husband. But if I keep you here
much longer, I shall be drawing the enmity of Miss Lee, and--yes, of
Fraulein von Holtzhausen, too, on to my devoted head, and, as that is
the only sort of jealousy I have any fear of, or indeed any respect
for, being as it is the expression of the natural abhorrence of one
woman for another, I had rather avoid it."

Philip followed the direction of her sleepy eyes, and saw that both
Miss Lee and Hilda appeared to be put out. The former was talking
absently to Mr. Bellamy, and glancing continually in the direction of
that gentleman's wife. The latter, too, whilst appearing to listen to
some compliment from George, was gazing at Mrs. Bellamy with a curious
look of dislike and apprehension in her face.

"You see what I mean; Fraulein von Holtzhausen actually looks as
though she were afraid of me. Can you fancy any one being afraid of
me, except my husband, of course?--for as you know