re
outstaying my welcome."

"What's this? What's this?" said a voice, and there he was in the
room. He had overheard my last words, and a glance at our faces had
told him the rest. In an instant his chubby, cheery face set into an
expression of absolute ferocity.

"Might I trouble you to walk outside, Marshall?" said he. (I may
mention that my own name is Marshall King.)

He closed the door behind me, and then, for an instant, I heard him
talking in a low voice of concentrated passion to his wife. This gross
breach of hospitality had evidently hit upon his tenderest point. I am
no eavesdropper, so I walked out on to the lawn. Presently I heard a
hurried step behind me, and there was the lady, her face pale with
excitement, and her eyes red with tears.

"My husband has asked me to apologize to you, Mr. Marshall King," said
she, standing with downcast eyes before me.

"Please do not say another word, Mrs. King."

Her dark eyes suddenly blazed out at me.

"You fool!" she hissed, with frantic vehemence, and turning on her heel
swept back to the house.

The insult was so outrageous, so insufferable, that I could only stand
staring after her in bewilderment. I was still there when my host
joined me. He was his cheery, chubby self once more.

"I hope that my wife has apologized for her foolish remarks," said he.

"Oh, yes--yes, certainly!"

He put his hand through my arm and walked with me up and down the lawn.

"You must not take it seriously," said he. "It would grieve me
inexpressibly if you curtailed your visit by one hour. The fact
is--there is no reason why there should be any concealment between
relatives--that my poor dear wife is incredibly jealous. She hates
that anyone--male or female--should for an instant come between us. Her
ideal is a desert island and an eternal tete-a-tete. That gives you
the clue to her actions, which are, I confess, upon this particular
point, not very far removed from mania. Tell me that you will think no
more of it."

"No, no; certainly not."

"Then light this cigar and come round with me and see my little
menagerie."

The whole afternoon was occupied by this inspection, which included all
the birds, beasts, and even reptiles which he had imported. Some were
free, some in cages, a few actually in the house. He spoke with
enthusiasm of his successes and his failures, his births and his
deaths, and he would cry out in his delight, like a schoolboy, when, as