wo people together is to keep them as much apart
as possible. There was wisdom in the paradox, he declared; for everyone
should know that it was only when a man and a woman were far apart that
they came to appreciate each other.

It seemed, indeed, that there was some truth in what that man said, for
Phyllis, before the ice pudding appeared, had come to the conclusion
that George Holland was a very uninteresting sort of man. To be sure, he
had not talked about himself,--he was not such a fool as to do that: he
had talked about her to the exclusion of almost every other topic--he
had been wise enough to do that,--but in spite of all, he had not
succeeded in arousing her interest. He had not succeeded in making
her think of the present when her thoughts had been dwelling on the
past--not the distant past, not the past of two months ago, when they
had been lovers, but the past of two hours ago, when she had watched the
effect of her words upon Herbert Courtland.

She chatted away to George Holland very pleasantly--as pleasantly as
usual--so pleasantly as to cause some of her fellow-guests to smile and
whisper significantly to one another, suggesting the impossibility of
two persons who got on so well together as Mr. Holland and Miss Ayrton
being separated by a barrier so paltry as an engagement broken off by
the young woman for conscience' sake.

But when the significant smiles of these persons were forced upon the
notice of their hostess, she did not smile; she was a lady with a really
remarkable lack of knowledge; but she knew better than to accept the
pleasant chat of George Holland and Phyllis Ayrton as an indication that
the _status quo ante bellum_--to make use of the expressive phrase of
diplomacy--had been re-established between them.

Only when George Holland ventured to express his admiration of Mr.
Ayrton's adroitness in dealing with the foolish question of the
gentleman from Wales did he succeed in interesting Miss Ayrton.

"What a very foolish letter those missionaries sent home regarding the
explorations of Mr. Courtland!" said he. "Did they hope to jeopardize
the popularity of Mr. Courtland by suggesting that he had massacred a
number of cannibals?"

"I suppose that was their object," said Phyllis.

"They must be singularly foolish persons, even for missionaries," said
the Rev. George Holland.

"Even for missionaries?" Phyllis repeated. "Oh, I forgot that you are
no believer in the advantages of mis