flood of tears and reproaches. "If she were my wife," said
blunt old Bruce, "I'd pack her off home to that doting father she's
always prating about, and I'd keep her there until she arrived at years
of discretion. It is simply pitiful to see a big, stalwart, soldierly
fellow like Forrest led around by the nose like a ringed bull by that
ridiculous and lackadaisical creature." Beyond doubt there would have
been far more happiness all around if Forrest had firmly set down his
foot and refused to be longer the victim of her whims and caprices.
There would doubtless have been a few days of sore lamentation and
despairing appeals to be restored to her father's arms (where she was
not at all wanted, that estimable ecclesiastic having only recently
taken thereto a successor to her sainted mother); but in the end she
would have respected him far more and been happier in obeying him. Like
many another husband, poor Forrest was at times conscious of his duty
in the case; but, like most others, shrank from the ordeal. Bruce
himself, so savagely critical of the weakness of other spouses, was
notoriously subservient to the wishes of Mrs. Bruce; but she never had
to resort to tears to accomplish her object, and was thoroughly in
unison with her husband in his condemnation of Forrest's weakness.
"Poor, poor fellow!" she was saying to herself this very day. "With
such a fool for a wife and such a--such a sharper for a sister!"

So confident was Bayard of his ground that he had decided, days since,
on his plan of attack. He would not ask direct questions, for her
husband had doubtless pledged her to secrecy. He would delicately but
unhesitatingly speak of Miss Forrest as though he had full knowledge of
her past, and he felt assured that he could read in the patient's face,
even in the unlikely event of her silence, whether or no his theories
were correct. Besides, he had ventured an inquiry or two of an old New
York associate and club-fellow, a man who had known the Courtlandts
well.

"We must not judge Miss Forrest harshly, dear lady," he soothingly
remarked, after a moment of deep thought and apparent hesitation. "I
confess that I felt a little aggrieved at first when she saw fit to
summon Dr. Weeks despite the fact that I was in the house as your
physician two or three times a day; but, after thinking it all over,
her motives were apparent and--quite natural. You probably did not know
that I was well acquainted with Mr. Courtlandt,