rase
distributed to every acquaintance when Van Degen was in a rosy mood, he
merely answered: "Much obliged, my dear fellow; but Undine and I are
sailing immediately."

Peter's glassy eye grew livelier. "Ah, to be sure--you're not over the
honeymoon yet. How's the bride? Stunning as ever? My regards to her,
please. I suppose she's too deep in dress-making to be called on?
Don't you forget to look up Clare!" He hurried on in pursuit of a
flitting petticoat and Ralph continued his walk home.

He prolonged it a little in order to put off telling Undine of his
plight; for he could devise only one way of meeting the cost of the
voyage, and that was to take it at once, and thus curtail their Parisian
expenses. But he knew how unwelcome this plan would be, and he shrank
the more from seeing Undine's face harden; since, of late, he had so
basked in its brightness.

When at last he entered the little salon she called "stuffy" he found
her in conference with a blond-bearded gentleman who wore the red
ribbon in his lapel, and who, on Ralph's appearance--and at a sign, as
it appeared, from Mrs. Marvell--swept into his note-case some small
objects that had lain on the table, and bowed himself out with a
"Madame--Monsieur" worthy of the highest traditions.

Ralph looked after him with amusement. "Who's your friend--an Ambassador
or a tailor?"

Undine was rapidly slipping on her rings, which, as he now saw, had also
been scattered over the table.

"Oh, it was only that jeweller I told you about--the one Bertha Shallum
goes to."

"A jeweller? Good heavens, my poor girl! You're buying jewels?" The
extravagance of the idea struck a laugh from him.

Undine's face did not harden: it took on, instead, almost deprecating
look. "Of course not--how silly you are! I only wanted a few old things
reset. But I won't if you'd rather not."

She came to him and sat down at his side, laying her hand on his arm. He
took the hand up and looked at the deep gleam of the sapphires in the
old family ring he had given her.

"You won't have that reset?" he said, smiling and twisting the ring
about on her finger; then he went on with his thankless explanation.
"It's not that I don't want you to do this or that; it's simply that,
for the moment, we're rather strapped. I've just been to see the steamer
people, and our passages will cost a good deal more than I thought."

He mentioned the sum and the fact that he must give an answer the next
day. W