her there, or to some other confounded
place, for so long as a shop was near, Nina would be safe to have
something to buy in it. During those few months they were engaged, what
a purgatory he had gone trough. He was a lover then--he was a husband
now, and he whistled the air of a popular tune known by the name of "Not
for Joe."

The first few bars had but just escaped him, when who should he stumble
across but an old chum, Nick Walcot, who, hearing that up to seven
o'clock--when he was going to pop in upon Nina--Rowley had nothing to
do, gave a mysterious wink of his eye saying, "All right, old fellow;
I'm going somewhere, and I'll take you."

The somewhere proved to be a small bijou residence in the neighbourhood
of Thurloe Square; and, arrived at the door, it suddenly struck Rowley
who lived there.

"Oh come, I say," he began, drawing back a step or two. "I don't half
think this'll do. I'm married now, you see, and I've given up this sort
of society.".

Nick looked at him with an air of injured surprise.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "There's nothing against Miss Fisher that
I know of; it's simply that I've been asked to lunch with her, and as I
know she'll have a friend, I take ditto because I'd rather sit down four
than three." Rowley hastened to disabuse any prejudice against Miss
Fisher, whom he felt sure was the very soul of propriety, "Only, don't
you know, women get an idea, and though my little wife's the best sort
in the world, if she got scent that I'd been lunching with an actress
instead of going straight to her, there'd be the very deuce to pay."

"Fiddle de dee! besides, how is she to know? who's to tell her?" and
before there was time to answer, a vigorous pull was given to the bell.

"Confound this fellow; I wish I'd gone straight off to Nina. What a fool
I am!" These were the reflections of Captain Dacres as he followed his
friend into the presence of Miss Fisher, who received him with easy
cordiality.

"Good gracious on me! Captain Dacres," she said, "what a time it is
since I've seen you, to be sure; I took it for granted you were dead."

"Dead!" repeated Nick Walcot. "Why he's married; didn't you know?"

"Oh, it's about the same to me," laughed the lady, and then tilting
herself back in her chair so that her voice might reach the further room
more easily, she called, "Doady I say, come in here--there's a surprise
for you."

And in answer to the summons a young lady appeared, who threw