uch by surprise when I made you an offer, didn't I?'

'I was rather surprised, Henry,' I said, smiling at his retreating form
as he went out of the room. Then I turned to Marion, who happened to
be present. 'Why, of course,' I commented, 'that makes it all the more
serious about William.'

'What are you talking about?' she asked in a puzzled tone.

'If Henry was deceived so easily----'

'Deceived! Oh, Netta!'

'Well, I mean, dear, I'd decided to marry Henry before the episode of
the misstatement in my article he just mentioned. I--I--put the
misstatement in on purpose to arouse a controversy between us.'

'Netta, how terrible!'

'Why terrible, Marion? I knew Henry would make an excellent husband.
Am I not a suitable wife for him?'

[Illustration: 'Am I not a suitable wife for Henry?']

'You are just perfect, dear--but you might have been otherwise.'

'That's exactly what I'm driving at, Marion. Gladys is an "otherwise."
If I deceived Henry, how much easier is it for her to deceive William?
No, she shan't marry him. He'd be wretched.'

Marion smiled. 'You surely don't think there's anything like that
between them?'

'He's drifting that way if some one doesn't stop him.'

Again Marion smiled. 'I tell you it's impossible. He couldn't have
got over his passion for me so quickly.'

'His passion for you,' I echoed. 'My dear, what do you mean?'

Marion then laid down her sewing and began to speak. I listened
amazed, unable at first to credit what she was saying, though gradually
I began to understand many things which had hitherto been obscure.

'It's wonderful to think of his having loved you secretly all this
time,' I marvelled; 'yet why should he take Elizabeth into his
confidence rather than myself? And why didn't you tell me all this
before--it would have made things so much simpler.'

'At first, not being aware how handsome he could be made, I did not
care for him and----'

'Do you mean, then, that you no longer dislike him, Marion?'

'On the contrary, dear, I have begun to regard him with--with feelings
of warmth.'

'Then all goes well, it seems. Now I shall go and speak to Elizabeth
about the affair.'

I thought Elizabeth seemed a little uneasy under my questioning, but
she reiterated many times: 'I tell you 'e isn't 'arf gone on Miss
Marryun--fair mad about 'er 'e is, but 'e told me not to breathe a word
about it to a soul.'

'Well, he's mad about some one else now,' I interpo