her husband to invite, once a
year, for appearance sake.

"Why are we so early?" said Ashe, looking at his watch. "I thought I
should be disgracefully late."

For he and Lady Grosville had the library to themselves. It was a fine,
book-walled room, with giallo antico columns and Adam decoration; and in
its richly colored lamp-lit space, the seated figure--stiffly erect--of
Lady Grosville, her profile, said by some to be like a horse and by
others to resemble Savonarola, the cap of old Venice point that crowned
her grizzled hair, her black velvet dress, and the long-fingered, ugly,
yet distinguished hands which lay upon her lap, told significantly;
especially when contrasted with the negligent ease and fresh-colored
youth of her companion.

Grosville Park was rich in second-rate antiques; and there was a
Greco-Roman head above the bookcase with which Ashe had been often
compared. As he stood now leaning against the fireplace, the close-piled
curls, and eyes--somewhat "a fleur de tete"--of the bust were
undoubtedly repeated with some closeness in the living man. Those whom
he had offended by some social carelessness or other said of him when
they wished to run him down, that he was "floridly" handsome; and there
was some truth in it.

"Didn't you get the message about dinner?" said Lady Grosville. Then, as
he shook his head: "Very remiss of Parkin. I always tell him he loses
his head directly the party goes into double figures. We had to put off
dinner a quarter of an hour because of Kitty Bristol, who missed her
train at St. Pancras, and only arrived half an hour ago. By-the-way, I
suppose you have already seen her--at that woman's?"

"I met her a week or two ago, at Madame d'Estrees'," said Ashe,
apparently preoccupied with something wrong in the set of his white
waistcoat.

"What did you think of her?"

"A charming young lady," said Ashe, smiling. "What else should I think?"

"A lamb thrown to the wolves," said Lady Grosville, grimly. "How that
woman <i>could</i> do such a thing!"

"I saw nothing lamblike about Lady Kitty," said Ashe. "And do you
include me among the wolves?"

Lady Grosville hesitated a moment, then stuck to her colors.

"You shouldn't go to such a house," she said, boldly--"I suppose I may
say that without offence, William, as I've known you from a boy."

"Say anything you like, my dear Lady Grosville! So you--believe evil
things--of Madame d'Estrees?"

His tone was light, but his ey