ranged her affairs, saw about the funeral, and did
what I could. She was well off; Glinn left her nearly all his money. He
would have married her, only he had a wife alive somewhere."

"And you fell in love with her, of course?"

"That was the sort of thing. If you knew her you would not wonder at it.
She was not a bad woman. Glinn had been the only one. She loved him too
much; that was all. She came to Europe, and lived in Paris for a time,
keeping the name of Mrs Glinn. I used to see her sometimes, but I never
said anything. You see, there was her past. In fact, I have been
fighting against her for three years. I went to India to get cured; but
it was no good. And now, here I am."

"And she is in Paris?"

"No, in London at present; but I didn't know her address till to-day. I
think she had her doubts of me, and meant to give me the slip."

"How did you find it out?"

"Quite by chance. I was walking in Mill Street, Knightsbridge, and saw
her pass in a victoria."

Maine got up suddenly, and went over to the spirit-stand. "In Mill
Street?" he said.

"Yes. The carriage stopped at No. 100. She went in. A footman came out
and carried in her rug. _Ergo_, she lives there."

"How hot it is!" said Maine in a hard voice. He threw up one of the
windows and leaned out. He felt as if he were choking. A little way down
the street a half-tipsy guardsman was reeling along, singing his own
private version of "Tommy Atkins." He narrowly avoided a lamp-post by an
abrupt lurch which took him into the gutter. Maine heard some one laugh.
It was himself.

"Well, old chap," said Manning, who had come up behind him, "what would
you advise me to do? I'm in a fix. I'm in love with Eve--that's her
name; I can't live without her happily, and yet I hate to marry a woman
with a--well, you know how it is."

Maine drew himself back into the room and faced round. "Does she love
you?" he asked; and there was a curious change in his manner towards his
friend.

"I don't know that she does," Manning said, rather uncomfortably. "But
that would come right. She would marry me, naturally."

"Why?"

"Well, I mean the position. Lady Herbert Manning could go where Mrs
Glinn could not, and all that sort of thing."

"The only question is whether you can bring yourself to ask her?"

"My dear chap, you don't put it too pleasantly."

"It's the fact, though."

Lord Herbert hesitated. Then he said dubiously, "I suppose so."

Maine lit another ci