nly for Phillida's sake and as her
cousin, and I want to know whether you love her."

"If you want me to do anything for her, I am ready. That is all I ought
to be required to say," said Millard, softened by Philip's evident
emotion, but bent on not betraying his own feelings.

"I suppose that means that you don't care for her," said Gouverneur.
Then he went on, looking into the fireplace: "Well, that's an end of it.
What an idiot she has been! She has thrown you over and alienated your
affections, and made herself the talk of the streets. You wouldn't think
such a fine-looking woman could make herself so utterly ridiculous. She
is a mortification to her relations, and--"

"Now, Philip, stop," said Millard, with heat. "You are in my house. No
man shall say a word against that woman in my hearing while I live. I
tell you that even her mistakes are noble. If her relatives are ashamed
of such as she is, I am sorry for her relatives." Millard made an
effort to say more, but his utterance was choked.

Philip laughed a sardonic little laugh.

"Charley, before God, I was not sincere in a word I said against
Phillida. I lied with deliberate purpose. Now I know that you love her.
That's what I wanted to find out. I only denounced her to get at your
feelings. You wouldn't tell me, I had to resort to a ruse."

"Do you think it--do you think it's the thing to pry into my feelings?"
said Millard, still speaking hotly.

"Yes, I do, under the circumstances. In return I'll tell you something
worth your listening to, if you'll only cool off enough to hear it."

Millard's curiosity was excited by this, but he made no reply; he only
sat still with Philip's eyes fixed upon him.

"Phillida loves you," said Philip.

Millard looked steadily at the smallish figure of his old friend, not
shrunken into the chair as usual now, but sitting upright and looking
straight at him with a strange look he had never seen before.

"Philip," he said softly, "how do you know this? Tell me, for God's
sake!"

"I must not betray confidence," said Philip. "You know me, your friend
and Phillida's. I am here to-night--I might say heart-broken, I can
hardly say disappointed. I don't blame Phillida for not caring for me
except as a cousin, or for preferring you. On the whole, if I were in
her place I'd do the same, by George!"

Philip laughed again, that little laugh which pained his friend.

"Why did you come to tell me this, Philip?" Millard was sit