off from them, recognising that there was, and could be,
no bond between them. They were strangers to him; their ways of looking
at every detail of life were different from his; they had not an
interest, not a thought, in common.... The preparations for the marriage
went on.

One day Mary decided that it was her duty to speak with James about his
religion. Some of his remarks had made her a little uneasy, and he was
quite strong enough now to be seriously dealt with.

"Tell me, Jamie," she said, in reply to an observation which she was
pleased to consider flippant, "you do believe in God, don't you?"

But James had learnt his lesson well.

"My dear, that seems to me a private affair of my own."

"Are you ashamed to say?" she asked, gravely.

"No; but I don't see the advantage of discussing the matter."

"I think you ought to tell me as I'm going to be your wife. I shouldn't
like you to be an atheist."

"Atheism is exploded, Mary. Only very ignorant persons are certain of
what they cannot possibly know."

"Then I don't see why you should be afraid to tell me."

"I'm not; only I think you have no right to ask. We both think that in
marriage each should leave the other perfect freedom. I used to imagine
the ideal was that married folk should not have a thought, nor an idea
apart; but that is all rot. The best thing is evidently for each to go
his own way, and respect the privacy of the other. Complete trust
entails complete liberty."

"I think that is certainly the noblest way of looking at marriage."

"You may be quite sure I shall not intrude upon _your_ privacy, Mary."

"I'm sorry I asked you any question. I suppose it's no business of
mine."

James returned to his book; he had fallen into the habit again of
reading incessantly, finding therein his only release from the daily
affairs of life; but when Mary left him, he let his novel drop and began
to think. He was bitterly amused at what he had said. The parrot words
which he had so often heard on Mary's lips sounded strangely on his own.
He understood now why the view of matrimony had become prevalent that it
was an institution in which two casual persons lived together, for the
support of one and the material comfort of the other. Without love it
was the most natural thing that husband and wife should seek all manner
of protection from each other; with love none was needed. It harmonised
well with the paradox that a marriage of passion was rather inde