ton makes love to your bride! A
pretty state of things, 'pon my soul!" And he laughed reprovingly.

Tristram smiled with bitter sarcasm as he answered, "You were absurdly
old-fashioned, Uncle. But perhaps Aunt Corisande was different to the
modern woman."

Zara did not speak. The black panther's look, on its rare day of
slumberous indifference when it condescends to come to the front of the
cage, grew in her eyes, but the slightest touch could make her snarl.

"Oh! you must not ever blame the women," the Duke--this _preux
chevalier_--said. "If they are different it is the fault of the men.
I took care that my duchess wanted me! Why, my dear boy, I was jealous
of even her maid, for at least a year!"

And Tristram thought to himself that he went further than that and was
jealous of even the air Zara breathed!

"You must have been awfully happy, Uncle," he said with a sigh.

But Zara spoke never a word. And the Duke saw that there was something
too deeply strained between them, for his kindly meant _persiflage_
to do any good; so he turned to the pictures, and drew them into lighter
things; and the moment he could, Tristram rejoined Lady Anningford by
one of the great fires.

Laura Highford, left alone with Lord Elterton up at the end of the long
picture gallery, felt she must throw off some steam. She could not keep
from the subject which was devouring her; she knew now she had made an
irreparable mistake in what she had said to Tristram in the afternoon,
and how to repair it she did not know at present, but she must talk to
some one.

"You will have lots of chance before a year is out, Arthur," she said
with a bitter smile. "You need not be in such a hurry! That marriage
won't last more than a few months--they hate each other already."

"You don't say so!" said Lord Elterton, feigning innocence. "I thought
they were a most devoted couple!"--Laura would be a safe draw, and
although he would not believe half he should hear, out of the bundle of
chaff he possibly could collect some grains of wheat which might come in
useful.

"Devoted couple!" she laughed. "Tristram is by no means the first with
her. There is a very handsome foreign gentleman, looking like Romeo, or
Rizzio--"

"Or any other 'O,'" put in Lord Elterton.

"Exactly--in whom she is much more interested. Poor Tristram! He has
plenty to discover, I fear."

"How do you come to know about it? You are a wonder, Lady
Highford--always so full of intere