hardly knowing he had expressed so much.

Constantia gave a sigh of relief, and Christopher again was only aware
of the twinkling diamonds, of melting lines of soft velvet and fur, a
presence friendly but unanalysable. They passed at that moment a
mansion of a prince of the world of money, and she indicated it with a
wave of her fan.

"Supposing, Christopher, you could realise some of your imaginary
fortune for _his_?"

"Heaven forbid. Think how it was made."

"The world forgets that."

"You do not forget," he answered quickly; "besides it's much nicer to
be adopted than to fight other people for fortune."

"I thought all boys liked fighting."

"Not if there's anything better to be done. A Punch and Judy show or a
funeral will stop the most violent set-to. I've seen it times, when I
was a boy in the street. Sam and I raised a cry one day of 'soldiers'
to stop a chum being knocked down. Then we ran."

"Oh. Christopher, Christopher, can't you forget it?"

He shook his head.

"I don't want to. It wouldn't be fair to Caesar. Also I couldn't."

"Some day you will marry, and perhaps she will rather you should
forget."

"No, she won't, she is far too fond of Caesar."

He stopped abruptly. For one brief moment the great voice of the
streets and the yellow glare died away; he was blinded by a
bewildering white light that broke down barriers undreamed of within
his soul. Then the actual comparative darkness of the carriage
obscured it and he found himself again conscious of the scent of
roses, the sheen of satin and soft velvet, and his heart was beating
madly. He had stumbled over the unsuspected threshold, surprised the
hidden temple of his own heart, and this, inopportunely, prematurely,
and, to his everlasting confusion, in the presence of another.

He clanged to the gates of his inner consciousness in breathless haste
and set curb on his momentary shame and amazement. The break was so
short his companion had barely time to identify the image disclosed
when his voice went on with quiet deliberation.

"Or will be when she appears. A case of 'if she be not fair to "he,"
what care I how fair she be.'"

Constantia with rare generosity offered no hindrance to the closing of
the door and discreetly pretended she had not been aware it had
opened. Yet she smiled to herself and decided it was quite a desirable
image and very advantageous to Aymer. Also, she reflected with
pleasure, she had predicted the result fro