-of that and latterly of dissimulation. It was not that
Caesar had been wronged, but that his wife had enabled idle tongues to
suggest a wrong to Caesar.

He did not see her again that night, betaking himself at a very late
hour to his own dressing-room. On the next morning at an early hour he
was awake thinking. He must not allow her to suppose for a moment that
he was afraid of her. He went into her room a few minutes before their
usual breakfast hour, and found her, nearly dressed, with her maid. "I
shall be down directly, George," she said in her usual voice. As he
could not bid the woman go away, he descended and waited for her in the
parlour. When she entered the room she instantly rang the bell and
contrived to keep the man in the room while she was making the tea. But
he would not sit down. How is a man to scold his wife properly with
toast and butter on a plate before him? "Will you not have your tea?"
she asked--oh, so gently.

"Put it down," he said. According to her custom, she got up and brought
it round to his place. When they were alone she would kiss his forehead
as she did so; but now the servant was just closing the door, and there
was no kiss.

"Do come to your breakfast, George," she said.

"I cannot eat my breakfast while all this is on my mind. I must speak
of it. We must leave London at once."

"In a week or two."

"At once. After last night, there must be no more going to parties."
She lifted her cup to her lips and sat quite silent. She would hear a
little more before she answered him. "You must feel yourself that for
some time to come, perhaps for some years, privacy will be the best for
us."

"I feel nothing of the kind, George."

"Could you go and face those people after what happened last night?"

"Certainly I could, and should think it my duty to do so to-night, if
it were possible. No doubt you have made it difficult, but I would do
it."

"I was forced to make it difficult. There was nothing for me to do but
to take you away."

"Because you were angry, you were satisfied to disgrace me before all
the people there. What has been done cannot be helped. I must bear it.
I cannot stop people from talking and thinking evil. But I will never
say that I think evil of myself by hiding myself. I don't know what you
mean by privacy. I want no privacy."

"Why did you dance with that man?"

"Because it was so arranged."

"You had told me it was some one else?"

"Do you mean to accu