founded set of fools hadn't
started their silly tittle-tattle!

Undoubtedly there was a substratum of truth and good sense in the views
so stoutly and passionately maintained by Sadler; only Sadler imagined
it was possible to compromise, to step down from the ideal and yet find
great happiness. He himself would give up the dream of happiness in the
ideal sense: his would be frankly a case of convenience, though were it
not for the many virtues of Miss Robinson, his mind would never have
become reconciled to it. No! not even were she as rich as Croesus. He
must do that amount of justice to himself. At his age he could
appreciate the importance of the rarer qualities of character in his
life's mate--loyalty, modesty, devotion! He would be making a wise
marriage! not a sordid one. He would be choosing the deep calm of life
instead of the elusive and often mocking flash of superficial passion
and beauty.

And, on his part, he was prepared to be the best and most dutiful of
husbands!

XII

When, that same evening, Wyndham was ushered into the Robinsons'
drawing-room, he was mildly surprised to find a sedate gentleman there
in familiar conversation with the family. The stranger vibrated with
neuter lights; yet dry, clean lights. Tall spare figure, hair and
close-trimmed beard, tailed morning coat and sharp-creased trousers,
brow and visage, air and movement--all a chiaroscuro in grey;
accentuated curiously, too, against the host's correct black and white,
and the laces and chiffons and shimmering brilliance of the ladies.

"My friend, Mr. Shanner," said Mr. Robinson, introducing them; and
Wyndham remembered at once that the Robinsons had mentioned Mr. Shanner
occasionally as an intimate of the house who was away in the New World
for the interests of the concern in which he was junior partner.

But Mr. Shanner, though he shook hands cordially, yet gave him a swift
look up and down that had something of antagonism in it. And in Wyndham,
too, arose some obscure enmity, likewise masked by the conventional
friendliness of greeting.

"As I was just telling Mr. Robinson," said Mr. Shanner, with an
obviously forced smile that yet illumined the man, broke through and
flashed away the greyness for an instant, "I hadn't the least idea that
I was going to stumble on an evening party. I feel quite out of it." His
voice was full of affable vibrations, and he smiled again, with a
general nod that indicated all this ceremoni