I never saw her
look so ill!"

"Indeed!" he answered, "I had not noticed it."

"If I didn't know her better," she remarked, "I might begin to suspect
her of a conscience. Whose baby were you driving about this afternoon?
I didn't know that your taste ran to ingenues to such an extent. She's
sweetly pretty, but I don't think it's nice of you to flaunt her before
us middle-aged people. It's enough to drive us to the rouge box. Come to
lunch tomorrow!"

"I shall be delighted," he answered, and passed on.

An hour or so later, on his way out, he came upon Lady Ruth sitting a
little forlornly in the hall.

"I wonder whether I dare ask you to drop me in Cadogan Square?" she
asked. "Is it much out of your way? I am leaving a little earlier than I
expected."

"I shall be delighted," he answered, offering his arm.

They passed out of the door and down the covered way into the street.
A few stragglers were loitering on the pavement, and one, a tall, thin
young man in a long ulster, bent forwards as they came down the steps.
Wingrave felt his companion's grasp tighten upon his arm; a flash of
light upon the pale features and staring eyes of the young man a few
feet off, showed him to be in the act of intercepting them. Then, at a
sharp word from Wingrave, a policeman stretched out his arm. The young
man was pushed unceremoniously away. Wingrave's tall footman and
the policeman formed an impassable barrier--in a moment the electric
brougham was gliding down the street. Lady Ruth was leaning back amongst
the cushions, and the hand which fell suddenly upon Wingrave's was cold
as ice!

RICHARDSON TRIES AGAIN

"You saw--who that was?"

Lady Ruth's voice seemed to come from a greater distance. Wingrave
turned and looked at her with calm curiosity. She was leaning back in
the corner of the carriage, and she seemed somehow to have shrunk into
an unusual insignificance. Her eyes alone were clearly visible through
the semi-darkness--and the light which shone from their depths was the
light of fear.

"Yes," he answered slowly, "I believe that I recognized him. It was the
young man who persists in some strange hallucination as to a certain
Mademoiselle Violet."

"It was no hallucination," she answered. "You know that! I was
Mademoiselle Violet!"

He nodded.

"It amazes me," he said thoughtfully, "that you should have stooped to
such folly. That my demise would have been a relief to you I can, of
course, easily belie