t's end an interview which hasn't been very pleasant for
either of us."

"Oh, Max, how can you abandon that lovely creature to some tragic
future?"

"You know quite well she is going to do nothing more tragic than to
marry Hickson."

"And you are willing to sacrifice her to Hickson?"

"My dear Laura, I cannot prevent all the beautiful, dissatisfied women in
the world from marrying dull, kind-hearted young men who adore them."

Mrs. Ussher stared at him in baffled, unhappy silence, and in the pause,
the door quickly and silently opened and Christine herself entered. She
looked calm, almost Olympian, as she laid her hand on Laura's arm.

"Let me have just a word alone with Mr. Riatt," she said; and as Laura
precipitately left the room, Christine turned to Riatt with a reassuring
smile. "Don't be alarmed," she said. "Your most dangerous antagonist has
just gone. I've really come to rescue you." She sank into a chair. "How
exhausting scenes are. Let me have a cigarette, will you?"

She smoked a moment in silence, while he stood erect and alert by the
mantel-piece. At last, glancing up at him, she said:

"I suppose Laura was suggesting that you marry me?"

He nodded.

"Laura's a dear, but not always very wise. You see, she thinks we are
both so wonderful, she can't believe we wouldn't make each other happy.
And from her point of view, it is rather an obvious solution. You see,
she does not know about that paragon in the Middle West."

"She existed only in my imagination."

"Oh, a dream-lady," said Christine, and her eyes brightened a little. "No
wonder you thought her too good for Ned. Well, that brings me to what I
came to tell you. I have decided to marry Edward Hickson."

There was a blank and rather flat pause, during which Riatt took his
cigarette from his mouth and very carefully studied the ash, but could
think of nothing to say. The thought in his mind was that Hickson was
a dull dog.

"Have you told Hickson?" he asked after a moment.

She shook her head. "No, and I shan't till I get more accustomed to the
idea myself. It isn't exactly an easy idea to get accustomed to. The
prospect is not lively."

"I dare say you will contrive to make it as lively as possible."

She smiled drearily. "How very poorly you do think of me! I shan't make
Ned a bad wife. He will be very happy, and Nancy and I will be like
sisters. By the way, you're not in love with Nancy, are you?"

"Certainly not."

"Good. They