iately began talking about the journey they had just made.
But Margaret was not listening.

"Do you know?" she said, "it is very pleasant to feel I am not poor any
longer. I suppose it is a very low sentiment."

"Of course," said the Duke. "Beastly thing to have no money."

"Do you know--" she began again, but stopped.

"Well," said the Duke, following her first train of thought, "it always
seems to me that I have no money myself. I don't suppose I am exactly
poor, though."

"No," laughed Margaret, "I was not thinking of that."

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think I will confide in you a little, for you have always been such a
good friend to me. What do you know of Mr. Barker?"

"I am sure I don't know," said the Englishman, taken off his guard by
the question. "I have known him some time--in this sort of way," he
added vaguely.

"I believe," said the Countess bluntly, "that it was Mr. Barker who made
all this trouble for Dr. Claudius."

"I believe you are right," answered the Duke suddenly turning in his
saddle and facing her. "I wonder how he could be such a brute?"

Margaret was silent. She was astonished at the readiness with which her
companion assented to her proposition. He must have known it all along,
she thought.

"What makes you think so?" he asked presently.

"What are your reasons for believing it?" she asked, with a smile.

"Really," he began; then shortly, "I believe I don't like his eyes."

"Last night," said Margaret, "I was talking with him at a party. I
chanced to speak of the Doctor's coming back, and Mr. Barker laughed and
sneered, and said it was ridiculous."

The Duke moved angrily in his saddle, making the horse he rode shake his
head and plunge a little.

"He is a brute," he said at last.

"Your horse?" inquired Margaret sweetly.

"No--Barker. And pray what did you answer him? I hope you gave him a
lesson for his impertinence."

"I told him," said she, "that I had documents in my possession that
would establish his right as well as any he could get in Germany."

"Barker must have been rather taken aback," said the other in high glee.
"I am glad you said that."

"So am I. I do not imagine I shall see much of Mr. Barker in future,"
she added demurely.

"Um! As bad as that?" The Duke was beginning to catch the drift of what
Margaret was saying. She had no intention of telling him any more,
however. Bitterly as she felt towards Barker, she would not allow
herself the triu