, did you! You darling," Michael exclaimed--and what do you
suppose I felt--if we had only rushed there and then into each other's
arms!"

"I was quite prepared for you in the garden--and did not I play my part
well! You got quite white, you know with surprise--and I felt
exquisitely excited. I could see you had come in all innocence--having
probably forgotten our joking arrangement that I should call myself Mrs.
Howard--I could not think why you did not speak out and denounce me. It
hurt my pride, I thought it was because you wanted to divorce me and
marry Daisy that you were indifferent about it. I did not know it was
because you had given your word of honor to Henry not to interfere with
the woman he loved. Then after dinner Henry told me you knew that he and
I were practically engaged--that stung me deeply--it seemed to prove
your indifference--so things developed and we met in the
garden--Michael, was not that a wonderful hour! How we both acted. If
you had indicated by word or look that you remembered me, I could not
have kept it up, we should have had to tell Henry then--we were playing
at cross-purposes and my pride was wounded."

"I understand, sweetheart, go on."

"Well, I was miserable at luncheon, and then when you went out in the
boat--being with you was like some intoxicating drink--I was more
excited than I had ever been in my life. I was horrid toward Henry, I
would not own it to myself, but I felt him to be the stumbling block in
the way. So I was extra nice to him to convince myself--and I let him
hold my arm, which I had never done before and you saw that in the
garden. I suppose--and thought I loved him and so went--that was nice of
you, Michael--but stupid, wasn't it!"

"Ridiculously stupid, everything I did was stupid that separated you
from me. The natural action of my character would have been just to
seize you again and carry you off resisting or unresisting to
Arranstoun, but some idiotic sentiment of honor to Henry held me."

"I cried a little, I believe, when I got your note--I went up into this
room and opened this despatch-box and read your horrid letter again--and
I believe I looked into the blue leather case, too"--here she opened it
once more--and they both examined it tenderly. "Of course you can't see
anything much in this little photograph--but he really was so like you,
Michael, and when I looked at it again after seeing you, I could have
sobbed aloud, I wanted you so----"

"M