ing of that except that in my
youth--ah, Leone, that I must say this to you--in my youth I made some
mistake; so my lady mother Was pleased to call it," he added, bitterly.
"She does not know exactly what it was, nor could she ever dream for one
moment that it was you."

She looked at him with a serious, questioning gaze.

"Surely you did not marry her without telling her that you had gone
through that service already, did you? If so, I think you acted
disloyally and dishonorably."

He bent his head in lowly humility before her.

"Leone," he said--"ah, forgive me for calling you Leone, but the name is
so sweet and so dear to me--Leone, I am a miserable sinner. When I think
of my weakness and cowardice, I loathe myself; I could kill myself; yet
I can never undo the wrong I have done to either. She knows little, and
I believe implicitly she has forgotten that little. Why do you ask me?"

"It seems so strange," said Leone, musingly, "I asked you to come here
to speak to me that I might ask your advice. She, Lady Marion, has asked
me to her house--has pressed me, urged me to go; and I have said that I
will think of it. I want you to advise me and tell me what I should do."

"My dear Leone, I--I cannot. I should love above all things to see you
at my house, but it would be painful for you and painful to me."

She continued, in a low voice:

"Lady Marion has asked me to be her friend; she is good enough to say
she admires me. What shall I do?"

He was silent for some minutes, then he said:

"There is one thing, Leone, if you become a friend, or even a visitor of
Lady Marion's, I should see a great deal of you, and that would be very
pleasant; it is all there is left in life. I should like it,
Leone--would you?"

Looking up, she met the loving light of the dark eyes full upon her. Her
face flushed.

"Yes," she whispered, "I, too, should like it."

There was silence between them for some little time, then Leone said:

"Would it be quite safe for me to visit you? Do you think that Lady
Lanswell would recognize me?"

"No," he answered, "if the eyes of love failed to recognize you at one
glance, the eyes of indifference will fail altogether. My mother is here
to-night; risk an introduction to her, and you will see. It would give
fresh zest and pleasure to my life if you could visit us."

"It would be pleasant," said Leone, musingly; "and yet to my mind, I
cannot tell why, there is something that savors of wrong