nce. "I thought this was your wedding journey."

"So it is, in a measure," said she, "but there is no necessity of his
coming here. Didn't I tell you that my aunt was opposed to the
marriage?" "But she might as well make up her mind to it now," he said.

"She is not in the habit of making up her mind to things she don't like.
Do you know," she added, looking around with a half smile, as if she
took pleasure in astonishing him, "that Aunt Keswick is going to try to
have us divorced?"

"What!" exclaimed Croft. "Divorced! Is there any ground for it?"

"She has other matrimonial plans for me, that's all."

"What an extraordinary individual she must be!" he exclaimed. "But she
can never carry out such a ridiculous scheme as that."

"I don't know," she said. "She has already consulted Mr Brandon on the
subject."

"What nonsense!" cried Croft. "If you and Mr Null are satisfied, nobody
else has anything to do with it."

"Mr Null and I are of one mind," said she, "and agree perfectly. But
don't you think it is a terrible thing to know you must always face an
irritated aunt?"

"Oh," said Croft, looking around at her very coldly and sternly, "I
begin to see. I suppose a separation would improve your prospects in
life. But it can't be done if your husband is opposed to it."

"Mr Croft," said the lady, her face flushing a good deal, "you have no
right to speak to me in that way, and attribute such motives to me. No
matter whom I had married, I would never give him up for the sake of
money, or a farm, or anything you think my aunt could give me."

"I beg your pardon," said Croft, "if I made a mistake, but I don't see
what else I could infer from your remarks."

"My remarks," said she, "were,--well, they have a different meaning from
what you supposed." She walked on in silence for a few moments, and
then, looking up to her companion, she said: "I have a great mind to
tell you something, if you will promise, at least for the present, not
to breathe it to a living soul."

Instantly the lookout on the bow of Lawrence Croft's life action called
out: "Breakers ahead!" and almost instantly its engine was stopped, and
every faculty of its commander was on the alert. "I do not know," he
said, "that I am entitled to your confidence. Would it be of any
advantage to you to tell me what you propose?"

"It would be of advantage, and you are entitled," she added quickly. "It
is about Mr Null, and you ought to know it, for you insti