first, and liking had changed to friendship very fast, but Guido knew
how very rarely the friendship a woman feels for a man can ever turn to
love. Starting from the same point, it grows steadily in another
direction, and its calm intellectual sympathy makes the mere suggestion
of any unreasoning impulse of the heart seem almost absurd.

But where the man and woman do not feel alike, this state of things
cannot last for ever, and when it comes to an end there is generally
trouble and often bitterness. Guido knew that very well and hesitated in
consequence.

Princess Anatolie could not understand the reason for this delay, and
was not at all pleased. She said it would be positively not decent if
the girl refused to marry Guido after acting in public as if she were
engaged to him, and Monsieur Leroy agreed with her. She asked him if he
could not do anything to hasten matters, and he said he would try. The
old lady had felt quite sure of the marriage, and in imagination she had
already extracted from Guido's wife all the money she had made Guido
lose for her. It is now hardly necessary to say that she had received
spirit messages through Monsieur Leroy, bidding her to invest money in
the most improbable schemes, and that she had followed his advice in
making her nephew act as her agent in the matter. Monsieur Leroy had
pleaded his total ignorance of business as a reason for keeping out of
the transaction, by which, however, it may be supposed that he profited
indirectly for a time. He never hesitated to say that the unfortunate
result was due to Guido's negligence and failure to carry out the
instructions given him.

But the Princess knew that at least a part of the fault belonged to
Monsieur Leroy, though she never had the courage to tell him so; and
though it looked as if nothing could sever the mysterious tie that
linked their lives together, he had forfeited some of his influence over
her with the loss of the money, and had only recently regained it by
convincing her that she was in communication with her dead child. So
long as he could keep her in this belief he was in no danger of losing
his power again. On the contrary, it increased from day to day.

"Guido is so very quixotic," he said. "He hesitates because the girl is
so rich. But we may be able to bring a little pressure to bear on him.
After all, you have his receipts for all the money that passed through
his hands."

"Unless he marries this girl, they ar