hich
might have brought her to his arms, that such manhood as he had
revolted at it. If she had given him her hand it would have been
secured purely through a financial trick, and even his Wall Street
soul experienced a revulsion of disgust at the thought of a wife thus
obtained. If he could have detected a little sentiment toward him,
some kindly regret that she could not reward his long-continued and
unstinted devotion, he would have parted from her more in sorrow than
in anger; but now he knew that she was wild to escape from him, that
she would instantly break her promise not to accept Muir before the
close of the week, and, to his punctilious business mind, the week did
not end until twelve o'clock Saturday night.

With a sort of grim vindictiveness he had muttered, "She shall keep
her promise. Neither she nor Muir shall be happy till my time has
expired."

Later in the evening, Graydon not returning, the thought occurred
to Arnault, "Perhaps he too has recognized the sharp game she has
played--perhaps Henry Muir has said to him, 'She has been putting you
off to see the result of the sudden calling in of Arnault's loan,'
and now young Muir proposes to console himself with that handsome Miss
Alden;" and a gleam of pleasure at the prospect illumined his face
for a moment. Meanwhile he maintained his mask before the world so
admirably that even Miss Wildmere little guessed the depth of his
revolt. He was the last one to reveal his bitter disappointment and
humiliating defeat to the vigilant gossips of the house. Those who saw
his smiling face and gallantries, and heard his breezy, half-cynical
words, little guessed the storm within. He had been taught in the best
school in the world how to say and look one thing and mean another.

At last an acquaintance approached, and said, "Pardon me, Mr. Arnault,
but I don't propose to permit you to monopolize Miss Wildmere all the
evening;" and then asked for the next dance.

Stella complied instantly, thinking, "Graydon may return now at any
moment, and if he sees that I am not with Arnault will come to me, as
usual."

Arnault bowed politely, looked at his watch, and invited another lady
to dance. Stella had been on the floor but a few moments when not
Graydon, but her father came and said to her partner, "Excuse me, sir.
I wish to speak to my daughter."

Requesting her companion to wait, she followed Mr. Wildmere through an
open window, and when on the piazza he took he