ad a sense, from
the way he looked back at her, that this was in no manner the first time
a baffled woman had told him that she would kill herself. He had always
accepted his kinship with her, but even in her trouble it was part of
her consciousness that he now lumped her with a mixed group of female
figures, a little wavering and dim, who were associated in his memory
with 'scenes,' with importunities and bothers. It is apt to be the
disadvantage of women, on occasions of measuring their strength with
men, that they may perceive that the man has a larger experience and
that they themselves are a part of it. It is doubtless as a provision
against such emergencies that nature has opened to them operations of
the mind that are independent of experience. Laura felt the dishonour of
her race the more that her brother-in-law seemed so gay and bright about
it: he had an air of positive prosperity, as if his misfortune had
turned into that. It came to her that he really liked the idea of the
public _eclaircissement_--the fresh occupation, the bustle and
importance and celebrity of it. That was sufficiently incredible, but as
she was on the wrong side it was also humiliating. Besides, higher
spirits always suggest finer wisdom, and such an attribute on Lionel's
part was most humiliating of all. 'I haven't the least objection at
present to telling you what you want to know. I shall have made my
little arrangements very soon and you will be subpoenaed.'

'Subpoenaed?' the girl repeated, mechanically.

'You will be called as a witness on my side.'

'On your side.'

'Of course you're on my side, ain't you?'

'Can they force me to come?' asked Laura, in answer to this.

'No, they can't force you, if you leave the country.'

'That's exactly what I want to do.'

'That will be idiotic,' said Lionel, 'and very bad for your sister. If
you don't help me you ought at least to help her.'

She sat a moment with her eyes on the ground. 'Where is she--where is
she?' she then asked.

'They are at Brussels, at the Hotel de Flandres. They appear to like it
very much.'

'Are you telling me the truth?'

'Lord, my dear child, _I_ don't lie!' Lionel exclaimed. 'You'll make a
jolly mistake if you go to her,' he added. 'If you have seen her with
him how can you speak for her?'

'I won't see her with him.'

'That's all very well, but he'll take care of that. Of course if you're
ready for perjury----!' Lionel exclaimed.

'I'm ready fo