r derision was madly distempering. He
had only to ask the affirmative of Constance Asper to-morrow! A vision
of his determination to do it, somewhat comforted him.

Dacier walked up and down the platform, passing his pile of luggage,
solitary and eloquent on the barrow. Never in his life having been made
to look a fool, he felt the red heat of the thing, as a man who has
not blessedly become acquainted with the swish in boyhood finds his
untempered blood turn to poison at a blow; he cannot healthily take
a licking. But then it had been so splendid an insanity when he urged
Diana to fly with him. Any one but a woman would have appreciated the
sacrifice.

His luggage had to be removed. He dropped his porter a lordly fee and
drove home. From that astonished solitude he strolled to his Club.
Curiosity mastering the wrath it was mixed with, he left his Club and
crossed the park southward in the direction of Diana's house, abusing
her for her inveterate attachment to the regions of Westminster. There
she used to receive Lord Dannisburgh; innocently, no doubt-assuredly
quite innocently; and her husband had quitted the district. Still it
was rather childish for a woman to-be always haunting the seats of
Parliament. Her disposition to imagine that she was able to inspire
statesmen came in for a share of ridicule; for when we know ourselves to
be ridiculous, a retort in kind, unjust upon consideration, is balm. The
woman dragged him down to the level of common men; that was the peculiar
injury, and it swept her undistinguished into the stream of women.
In appearance, as he had proved to the fellows at his Club, he was
perfectly self-possessed, mentally distracted and bitter, hating himself
for it, snapping at the cause of it. She had not merely disappointed,
she had slashed his high conceit of himself, curbed him at the first
animal dash forward, and he champed the bit with the fury of a thwarted
racer.

Twice he passed her house. Of course no light was shown at her windows.
They were scanned malignly.

He held it due to her to call and inquire whether there was any truth
in the report of Mrs. Warwick's illness. Mrs. Warwick! She meant to keep
the name.

A maid-servant came to the door with a candle in her hand revealing red
eyelids. She was not aware that her mistress was unwell. Her mistress
had left home some time after six o'clock with a gentleman. She was
unable to tell him the gentleman's name. William, the footman, h