now." Miss Skeat listened
to the disquisition on the rights of birth with rapt attention, and the
yellow candle-light played pleasantly on her old corners, and her
ancient heart fluttered sympathetically. Margaret, on the other side,
made Claudius talk about his youth, and took infinite pleasure in
listening to his tales of the fresh Northern life he had led as a boy.
The Doctor had the faculty of speech and told his stories with a certain
vigour that savoured of the sea.

"I hope you will both come and see me," said the Countess, as the two
men took their departure; but as she spoke she looked at Barker.

Half an hour later they sat in their sitting-room at the hotel, and
Barker sipped a little champagne while Claudius smoked cigarettes, as
usual. As usual, also, they were talking. It was natural that two
individuals endowed with the faculty of expressing their thoughts, and
holding views for the most part diametrically opposed, should have a
good deal to say to each other. The one knew a great deal, and the other
had seen a great deal; both were given to looking at life rather
seriously than the reverse. Barker never deceived himself for a moment
about the reality of things, and spent much of his time in the practical
adaptation of means to ends he had in view; he was superficial in his
knowledge, but profound in his actions. Claudius was an intellectual
seeker after an outward and visible expression of an inward and
spiritual truth which he felt must exist, though he knew he might spend
a lifetime in the preliminary steps towards its attainment. Just now
they were talking of marriage.

"It is detestable," said Claudius, "to think how mercenary the marriage
contract is, in all civilised and uncivilised countries. It ought not
to be so--it is wrong from the very beginning."

"Yes, it is wrong of course," answered Barker, who was always ready to
admit the existence and even the beauty of an ideal, though he never
took the ideal into consideration for a moment in his doings. "Of course
it is wrong; but it cannot be helped. It crops up everywhere, as the
question of dollars and cents will in every kind of business; and I
believe it is better to be done with it at first. Now you have to pay a
Frenchman cash down before he will marry your daughter."

"I know," said Claudius, "and I loathe the idea."

"I respect your loathing, but there it is, and it has the great
advantage that it is all over, and there is no more tal