t Mrs. Sardis. Her eyes were kind enough.

'You won't affect not to understand?' she said.

I assented with a motion of the head.

'Many persons say there is a--a liaison between you,' she said.

'And do you think that?' I asked quickly.

'If I had thought so, my daughter would not have been here to-night,' she
said solemnly. 'No, no; I do not believe it for an instant, and I brought
Jocelyn specially to prove to the world that I do not. I only heard the
gossip a few days ago; and to-night, as I sat here, it was borne in upon
me that I must speak to you to-night. And I have done so. Not everyone
would have done so, dear girl. Most of your friends are content to talk
among themselves.'

'About me? Oh!' It was the expression of an almost physical pain.

'What can you expect them to do?' asked Mrs. Sardis mildly.

'True,' I agreed.

'You see, the circumstances are so extremely peculiar. Your friendship
with her--'

'Let me tell you'--I stopped her--'that not a single word has ever passed
between me and--and the man you mean, that everybody might not hear. Not
a single word!'

'Dearest girl,' she exclaimed; 'how glad I am! How glad I am! Now I can
take measures to--.

'But--' I resumed.

'But what?'

In a flash I saw the futility of attempting to explain to a woman like
Mrs. Sardis, who had no doubts about the utter righteousness of her
own code, whose rules had no exceptions, whose principles could apply
to every conceivable case, and who was the very embodiment of the vast
stolid London that hemmed me in--of attempting to explain to such an
excellent, blind creature why, and in obedience to what ideal, I would
not answer for the future. I knew that I might as well talk to a
church steeple.

'Nothing,' I said, rising, 'except that I thank you. Be sure that I
am grateful. You have had a task which must have been very
unpleasant to you.'

She smiled, virtuously happy.

'You made it easy,' she murmured.

I perceived that she wanted to kiss me; but I avoided the caress. How I
hated kissing women!

'No more need be said,' she almost whispered, as I put my hand on the
knob of the front-door. I had escorted her myself to the hall.

'Only remember your great mission, the influence you wield, and the fair
fame of our calling.'

My impulse was to shriek. But I merely smiled as decently as I could; and
I opened the door.

And there, on the landing, just emerging from the lift, was Ispenlove,
haggard, pa