loved you or not.
Surely, if there be such a thing as love, we should be lovers."

He was chilled by her solemn tone; but he made a movement as if to
embrace her.

"No," she said, stopping him. "I am his wife still. I have not yet
pronounced my own divorce."

She left the room; and he walked uneasily to and fro Until she returned,
dressed in white. He gazed at her with quickened breath as she
confronted him. Neither heeded the click of her husband's latchkey in
the door without.

"When I was a little boy, Marian," he said, gazing at her, "I used to
think that Paul Delaroche's Christian martyr was the most exquisite
vision of beauty in the world. I have the same feeling as I look at you
now."

"Marian reminds me of that picture too," said Conolly. "I remember
wondering," he continued, smiling, as they started and turned toward
him, "why the young lady--she was such a perfect lady--was martyred in a
ball dress, as I took her costume to be. Marian's wreath adds to the
force of the reminiscence."

"If I recollect aright," said Marian, taking up his bantering tone with
a sharper irony, "Delaroche's martyr shewed a fine sense of the
necessity of having her wrists gracefully tied. I am about to follow her
example by wearing these bracelets, which I can never fasten. Be good
enough to assist me, both of you."

She extended a hand to each; and Conolly, after looking at the catch for
a moment, closed it dexterously at the first snap. "By the bye," he
said, whilst Douglas fumbled at the other bracelet, "I have to run away
to Glasgow to-night by the ten train. We shall not see one another again
until Monday evening."

Douglas's hand began to shake so that the gold band chafed Marian's arm.
"There, there," she said, drawing it away from him, "you do it for me,
Ned. Sholto has no mechanical genius." Her hand was quite steady as
Conolly shut the clasp. "Why must you go to Glasgow?"

"They have got into a mess at the works there; and the engineer has
telegraphed for me to go down and see what is the matter. I shall
certainly be back on Monday. Have something for me to eat at half past
seven. I am sorry to be away from our Sunday dinner, Douglas; but you
know the popular prejudice. If you want a thing done, see to it
yourself."

"Sholto has been very eloquent this evening on the subject of popular
prejudices," said Marian. "He says that to defy the world is a proof of
honesty."

"So it is," said Conolly. "I get on in th