u and George; and I am going to make him promise that, no matter what
happens, he will never marry you.'

[Illustration: "Do you mean," I cried, "that you would make him a better
wife than I do?"]

"I think these words made some impression on her, for she answered very
quickly: 'I am not sure that it will be wise to tell him everything; but
if you are determined to do so, I must insist that you will tell him
something more; and that is that I am engaged to be married, and have
been for nearly a year.'

"'And you have been deceiving all these anxious wives?' I cried.

"'I never made promises to any one but to you,' she answered; 'and I
would not have done that if I had not liked you so much.'

"'You have a funny way of liking,' I remarked.

"She merely smiled, and went on: 'And I should not have told you of my
engagement if I had not thought it would be safer to do so, considering
the story you are going to tell your husband.'

"'And it is because I consider it safer that I am going to tell him that
story,' I replied.

* * * * *

"That afternoon, as soon as I was alone with Bernard,--I did not give
him any time to show me any of his common-acquaintance coolness,--I told
him the whole thing from beginning to end. He listened so earnestly that
one might have thought he was in church; but when I came to the part
about his boarding with George and Miss Temple he could not help
laughing. He excused himself, however, and told me to go on. He looked
very happy when I had told him my story, and no one would have supposed
that he had ever assumed the air of a mere common acquaintance.

"'You are such a good little wife!' he exclaimed. 'And you are always
trying to do things to make me happy. But you must not take so much
labor and anxiety upon yourself. I want to help you in every way that I
can, and in such a case you ought to let me do it.'

"'But how could you help me in the trouble I have been telling you
about?' I asked.

"'Easily enough,' he answered. 'Now, if you had taken me into your
confidence, I would have told you that I consider Miss Temple too tall a
woman for my fancy.'

"'She is,' I said. 'I did not think so at first, but I can see it
plainly now.'

"'Then, again, she is too practical-minded.'

"'Entirely too much so,' I agreed.

"'And in other respects she is not up to my standard,' continued
Bernard. 'So I think, Rosa, that if you should ever take up su