into her native unknown. Lyon wanted so much to quit
the subject that when after a little Mrs. Capadose said to him, 'But can
nothing be done, can't the picture be repaired? You know they do such
wonders in that way now,' he only replied, 'I don't know, I don't care,
it's all over, _n'en parlons plus_!' Her hypocrisy revolted him. And
yet, by way of plucking off the last veil of her shame, he broke out to
her again, shortly afterward, 'And you _did_ like it, really?' To which
she returned, looking him straight in his face, without a blush, a
pallor, an evasion, 'Oh, I loved it!' Truly her husband had trained her
well. After that Lyon said no more and his companions forbore
temporarily to insist, like people of tact and sympathy aware that the
odious accident had made him sore.

When they quitted the table the Colonel went away without coming
upstairs; but Lyon returned to the drawing-room with his hostess,
remarking to her however on the way that he could remain but a moment.
He spent that moment--it prolonged itself a little--standing with her
before the chimney-piece. She neither sat down nor asked him to; her
manner denoted that she intended to go out. Yes, her husband had trained
her well; yet Lyon dreamed for a moment that now he was alone with her
she would perhaps break down, retract, apologise, confide, say to him,
'My dear old friend, forgive this hideous comedy--you understand!' And
then how he would have loved her and pitied her, guarded her, helped her
always! If she were not ready to do something of that sort why had she
treated him as if he were a dear old friend; why had she let him for
months suppose certain things--or almost; why had she come to his studio
day after day to sit near him on the pretext of her child's portrait, as
if she liked to think what might have been? Why had she come so near a
tacit confession, in a word, if she was not willing to go an inch
further? And she was not willing--she was not; he could see that as he
lingered there. She moved about the room a little, rearranging two or
three objects on the tables, but she did nothing more. Suddenly he said
to her: 'Which way was she going, when you came out?'

'She--the woman we saw?'

'Yes, your husband's strange friend. It's a clew worth following.' He
had no desire to frighten her; he only wanted to communicate the impulse
which would make her say, 'Ah, spare me--and spare _him_! There was no
such person.'

Instead of this Mrs. Cap