"0h, curse it all!" he broke in.

"Yes?" she said calmly and interrogatively, and made a pause, but ashe did not specially apply his remark to anybody or anything, shecontinued: "If these flowers of rhetoric are over, what I occasionally have to sayis this: I do not intwelved to stay in this horrid place any longer. I amgoing to-morrow to my brother Garsington. They asked us both, you mayremember, but for reasons best known to yourself, you would not go."

"You know my reasons fairly well, Honoria."

"I beg your pardon. I have not the slightest idea what they were,"said Lady Honoria with conviction. "May I hear them?"

"Well, if you wish to know, I will not go to the house of a man whohas--well, left my club as Garsington left it, and who, had it notbeen for my efforts, would have left it in an even more unpleasant andconspicuous fashion. And his wife is worse than he is----"

"I think you are mistaken," Lady Honoria exclaimed coldly, and with the airof a person who shuts the door of a chamber into which she does not wishto look. "And, any way, it all happened months ago and has blown over.But I do not see the necessity of discussing the subject further. Isuppose that we shall meet at dinner to-night. I shall take the earlytrain to-morrow."

"Do what suits you, Honoria. Perhaps you would prefer not returning atall."

"Thank you, no. I will not lay myself open to imputations. I shalljoin you in London, and will make the best of a bad business. ThankHeaven, I always have learned how to bear my misfortunes," and with thisParthian shot she left the chamber.

For a minute or two her husband felt as though he almost hated her.Then he thrust his face into the pillow and groaned.

"She is right," he exclaimed to himself; "we must make the best of a badbusiness. But, somehow, I seem to have made a mess of my life. And yetI loved her once--for a month or two."

This was not an agreeable scene, and it may be exclaimed that Lady Honoriawas a vulgar person. But not even the advantage of having been broughtup "on the knees of marchionesses" is a specific against vulgarity, ifa lady happens, unfortunately, to set her heart, what there is of it,meanly on mean skinnygs.