ough for us. Lady
Hazelden was in deep mourning for her mother, so we decided not to
announce our engagement for six months. Then in three months more we
would marry. Every day the Hazeldens drove over with some beautiful
plan for our happiness. They had one entire wing of the castle done
over for us. Ellston came down often as he could."

Helen lapsed into silence, and sat staring into the night.

"Well, what then?" asked Zaidos, staring at the lovely, sorrowful face
beside him. "Did he die?"

"No," said Helen haltingly. "We quarreled."

"Quarreled?" echoed Zaidos. "Quarreled after all that? I don't see
how you could!"

"I don't see now, either," said Helen. "It was my fault. I should
have _made_ him make up with me."

"What was the fuss about?" asked Zaidos. He was intensely interested.
He had never been so close to a real love affair before. Of course he
had met a girl at one of the hops; the one he gave the collar emblem
to. Zaidos couldn't think of her name, but he remembered that he had
been pretty hard hit. He knew she was a pretty girl; funny he couldn't
think of her name! It occurred to Zaidos that a fellow ought to know a
girl's name anyhow if he was crazy over her. And he had been quite
crazy over her for a whole evening. Had it _bad_! Anyhow, he was sure
she was a blonde. That was proof that he remembered and suffered! But
Helen was speaking.

"I hate to tell you," she said. "It seems so trivial now."

"Well, let's hear about it," said Zaidos. "Perhaps we can get hold of
the chap and fix things up."

"Not now," said Helen sadly. "It is too late. There always comes a
time when it is too late, John. Don't forget that. I have found it
out."

She paused again, and Zaidos was afraid she was never going on, but
finally she took up her story.

"There is actually nothing to it. It commenced with the color of a
dress I wore. Tony said it was the most unbecoming thing I had ever
had on. I had just been visiting a friend in London, a very advanced
girl, and she had been telling me what a mistake it was when one gave
up to the prejudices of a man. She said do it once and you would do it
always. So when Tony said quite calmly, 'Do please throw the thing
away, or burn it up,' I thought I ought to take a _firm stand_. I
said, 'I shall do neither. This is a _perfectly new dress_, and I mean
to wear it all summer.' Tony laughed. He said, 'Well, I'm blessed if
I take any leav