silence that followed.

Wingarde's eyes never left his companion's face. But the girl had turned
from him. She was listening, rapt and eager. She had forgotten his very
presence at her side. As the last passionate note thrilled into silence
she drew a long breath. Her eyes were full of tears.

Suddenly she came to earth--to the consciousness of his watching
eyes--and her expression froze into contemptuous indifference. She
turned her head and faced him, scorning the tears she could not hide.

In her look were bitter dislike, fierce resistance, outraged pride.

"Some people," she said, with a little, icy smile, "would prefer to say
'Afterwards, Death!' I am one of them."

Wingarde looked back at her with complete composure. He also seemed
faintly contemptuous.

"You probably know as much of the one as of the other," he coolly
responded.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: I desire to acknowledge my indebtedness to the Author--I
regret to say unknown to me--of the little poem which I have quoted in
this story.]

II

A RING OF VALUE

"So Nina has made up her mind to retrieve the family fortunes," yawned
Leo, the second son of the house. "Uncommonly generous of her. My only
regret is that it didn't occur to her that it would be a useful thing to
do some time back. Is the young man coming to discuss settlements
to-night?"

"What a beast you are!" growled Burton, the eldest son.

"We're all beasts, if it comes to that," returned Leo complacently. "May
as well say it as think it. She has simply sold herself to the highest
bidder to get the poor old pater out of Queer Street. And we shall, I
hope, get our share of the spoil. I understand that Wingarde is lavish
with his worldly goods. He certainly ought to be. He's a millionaire of
the first water. A thousand or so distributed among his wife's relations
would mean no more to him than the throwing of the crusts to the
sparrows." He stopped to laugh lazily. "And the wife's relations would
flock in swarms to the feast," he added in a cynical drawl.

Burton growled again unintelligibly. He strongly resented the sacrifice,
though he could not deny that there was dire need for it.

The family fortunes were at a very low ebb. His father's lands were
mortgaged already beyond their worth, and he and his brother had been
trained for nothing but a life of easy independence.

There were five more sons of the family, all at various stages of
education--two at college, th