, when a woman is
talking of men, her husband is _always_ excepted. Come, we must be
going; but, Mr. Caresfoot, bend a little nearer; if you will accept it
from such a stranger, I want to give you a bit of advice--make your
choice pretty soon, or you will lose them both."

"What do you mean--how do you know----"

"I mean nothing at all, or just as much as you like, and for the rest
I use my eyes. Come, let us join the others."

A few minutes later Hilda put down her work, and, declaring that she
felt hot, threw open the French window and went out into the garden,
whither, on some pretext or other, Philip followed her.

"What a lovely woman that is," said Mrs. Bellamy, with enthusiasm, to
Miss Lee, as soon as Philip was out of earshot. "Her _tout ensemble_
positively kills one. I feel plain and dowdy as a milkmaid alongside
of a Court-beauty when I am in the room with her. Don't you, Miss
Lee?"

"Oh, I don't know, I never thought about it, but of course she is
lovely and I'm plain, so there is no possibility of comparison between
us."

"Well, I think you rate yourself rather low, if you will allow me to
say so; but most women would but 'poorly satisfy the sight' of a man
when she was present. I know that I should not care to trust my
admirer (if I had one), however devoted he might be, for a single day
in her company; would you?"

"I really don't know; what _do_ you mean?"

"Mean, Miss Lee, why I mean nothing at all; what should I mean, except
that beauty is a magnet which attracts all men; it serves them for a
standard of morality and a test of right and wrong. Men are different
from women. If a man is faithful to one of us, it is only because no
other woman of sufficient charm has become between him and us. You can
never trust a man."

"What dreadful ideas you have."

"Do you think so? I hope not. I only speak what I have observed. Take
the case of Fraulein von Holtzhausen, for instance. Did you not notice
that whilst she was in the room the eyes of the three gentlemen were
all fixed upon her, and as soon as she leaves it one of them follows
her, as the others would have done had they not been forestalled? One
cannot blame them; they are simply following a natural law. Any other
man would do the same where such a charming person is concerned."

"I certainly did not notice it; indeed, to speak the truth, I thought
that they were more occupied with you----"

"With me! why, my dear Miss Lee, _I_ don't set