ertainty as to
their effect. From time to time she craned her head to study herself in
a mirror which hung upon the wall, and at each glance her forehead
wrinkled. Meriel pushed her chair slightly to the left so that she also
might see that reflection, and discovered with amusement that the cause
of this perturbation was a slight pink flush which rose above the lace
collar, and touched the base of the cheek; she bit her lips to restrain
a smile, realising with increased amusement that ever since she had
entered the room Claudia had skilfully manoeuvred to hide this trifling
disfigurement from observation. What a bore to be a society belle who
was obliged to worry seriously about a trifle which would probably
disappear in the course of a few hours!

The two friends were talking merrily together when the door opened, and
John Biggs entered the room. He was slightly thinner, a thought more
presentable than of yore, but the small eyes had lost none of their
sunken gleam. Meriel had to keep a strong control over herself to hide
her shuddering dislike as his hand touched hers, but she acknowledged
that he was a gracious host, and that she had no cause to find fault
with the manner in which he gave her welcome. The greetings over, she
discovered that Claudia had taken advantage of the breathing space to
move her chair to the opposite side of the small tea-table, so that her
husband from his arm-chair should see her to the best advantage, and the
disfigurement of that slight rash should be inflicted upon the guest
rather than upon himself. It struck Meriel as a pretty, almost a
touching action, and she watched eagerly to discover if it were possible
that the miracle of love had united this husband and wife.

First for the husband--his conversation was addressed as in duty bound
mainly to his guest, but ever and anon his eyes returned to his wife,
and dwelt upon her, fascinated, absorbed, as though of all the treasures
which the room contained she was in his sight the most priceless of all.
Then for the wife--a slight but very perceptible change had come over
Claudia's manner since the moment of his entrance. Her affectation of
candour disappeared, an air of caution and reserve enveloped her like a
mist. She gave the altogether new impression of considering her words,
of shaping them continually to please the ears of her audience. Yet she
had shown her old outspokenness during the first few minutes of the
interview, h