a straight
life, but lately I have felt different about things. My own
convictions are stronger."

"Well, if we discuss it from now until Doomsday I shall not like it,
May; but it is equally certain that if you have set your mind on this
man you will not give him up."

"I have set my heart upon him," said May, an unusual softness in her
voice. "After all, mother, love is the first thing."

Mrs. Webster sat silent, the tears dropping down her face. Love,
either of God or man, had been no important factor in her life. She
had married for money, and such love as she could give had been centred
on her one beautiful daughter; but even with her, her ambition was
stronger than her love, and it received its deathblow with May's
unaccountable choice of a husband. Further opposition she saw to be
useless, so she surrendered with as good a grace as possible.

When May's engagement was publicly announced friends poured in to offer
congratulations that had a note of surprise behind them; but Mrs.
Webster proved fully equal to the occasion.

"Yes," she said; "May has been a long time making her choice, and now
it seems a funny one, doesn't it? But Mr. Lessing is a very clever
man, and May became bitten with his views first, and with the
propounder of them afterwards. He is the sort of man who will make a
career for himself yet. I believe he means to stand for ---- in the
autumn."

Perhaps no one received the news with such genuine delight as Sally,
who came flying up to Park Lane directly she heard of it.

"I've always thought Paul the nicest man in the world, and you the most
fascinating woman; and that you should make a match of it is ideally
delightful," she said. "It really is very funny, though, when I come
to think of it, and look back at that night in Brussels."

"What about that night at Brussels?" asked Paul, who had entered the
room unperceived by either of the girls. But Sally laughed and held
her tongue.

"If you had stayed away a minute longer I should have wormed the truth
out of the too-truthful Sally," May said, turning upon him with a
smile. "You clearly hated me."

"I don't think I ever hated you. I believe I struggled from the first
against a tremendous fascination that you possessed for me. I
quarrelled with your surroundings, with your money rather than with
you."

"It is a distinct judgment that that same money will enable you to
carry out all your schemes," May said quaintly, "from t