own pleading, Wade," she interrupted, a red spot
appearing in each cheek. Then rashly: "You may continue to court her in
Mr. Thorpe's clothes but you need not expect his wife to lend her
assistance also."

His eyes glittered. "I am sorry if I have offended you, ma'am. And I thank
you for being honest and straightforward with me. It is always best."

"I did not mean to hurt your feelings, Wade," she began, half-sorry for
her remark.

"Not in the least, ma'am. Nothing can hurt my feelings. You see, I lived
with Mr. Thorpe a great deal longer than you did. I got quite beyond being
hurt."

She drew a step nearer. "Wade," she said quietly, "I am going to advise
you, not this wretched girl who is planning to marry you. How old are
you?"

"Two score and a half and five," he answered promptly. Evidently he had
uttered the glib lie before, and as on another occasion he waited for his
listener to reduce the words to figures.

"Fifty-five," said Anne, after some time. She was not good at mathematics.
"I thought you were older than that. It doesn't matter, however. You are
fairly well-off, I believe. Upwards of fifty thousand dollars, no doubt.
Now, I shall be quite frank with you. This girl is taking you for your
money. Just a moment, if you please. I do not know her, and I may be doing
her an injustice. You have compared her to me in reaching your
conclusions. You do not deceive yourself any more than Mr. Thorpe deceived
himself. He knew I did not love him, and you must know that the same
condition exists in this affair of yours. You have thanked me for being
honest. Well, I was honest with Mr. Thorpe. I would have been as true as
steel to him, even if he had lived to be an hundred. The question you must
ask of yourself is this, Wade: Will this girl be as true as steel to you?
Is there no other man to be afraid of?"

He listened intently. A certain greyness crept into his hollow cheeks.

"Was there no other man when you married Mr. Thorpe?" he asked levelly.

"Yes, there was," she surprised him by replying. "An honest man, however.
I think you know--"

She scarcely heard Wade as he went on, now in a most conciliatory way. "It
may interest you to know that I have arranged to buy out the delicatessen.
We expect to enlarge and tidy the place up just as soon as we can get
around to it. I believe I shall be very happy, once I get into active
business. Mrs. Gadscomb,--that's the present mother,--I mean to say, the
present