ces. After a short silence Lucian looked at the face of
his wife and laughed.

"What is amusing you, dear?" said Mrs. Denzil, with a sympathetic smile.

"My thoughts were rather pleasant than amusing," replied Lucian, giving
the hand that lay in his a squeeze, "but I was thinking of Hans
Andersen's tale of the Elder Mother Tree, and of the old couple who sat
enjoying their golden wedding under the linden, with the red sunlight
shining on their silver crowns."

"We are under an oak and wear no crowns," replied Diana in her turn,
"but we are quite as happy, I think, although it is not our golden
wedding."

"Perhaps that will come some day, Diana."

"Fifty years, my dear; it's a long way off yet," said Mrs. Denzil
dubiously.

"I am glad it is, for I shall have (D.V.,) fifty years of happiness with
you to look forward to. Upon my word, Diana, I think you deserve
happiness, after all the trouble you have had."

"With you I am sure to be happy, Lucian, but other people, poor souls,
are not so well off."

"What other people?"

"Jabez Clyne, for one."

"My dear," said Lucian, seriously, "I hope I am not a hard man, but I
really cannot find it in my heart to pity Clyne. He was--and I dare say
is--a scoundrel!"

"I don't deny that he acted badly," sighed Diana, "but it was for his
daughter's sake, you know."

"There is a limit even to paternal affection, Diana. And putting aside
the wickedness of the whole conspiracy, I cannot pardon a man who
deliberately put a weapon in the way of a man almost insane with drink,
in order that he might kill himself. The idea was diabolically wicked,
my dear, and I think that Jabez Clyne, _alias_ Wrent, quite deserves the
long imprisonment he received."

"At all events, the Sirius Company got back their money, Lucian."

"So much as Lydia had not spent they got back, Diana; but when your
father actually died they had to part with it very soon again, and some
of it has gone into Lydia's pocket after all."

Diana blushed. "It was only right, dear," she said, apologetically.
"When my father made his new will, leaving it all to me, I did not think
that Lydia, however badly she treated him, should be left absolutely
penniless. And you know, Lucian, you agreed that I should share the
assurance money with her."

"I did," replied Denzil. "Of two evils I chose the least, for if Lydia
had not got a portion of the money she would have been quite capable of
trying to upset the second wil