led at
what he read there; for surely there was a hint of almost womanly
suffering in their usually childish depths; and he knew intuitively that
this was not the thoughtless, light-hearted girl he had previously known
as Toni Rose.

"Mr. Herrick"--she spoke in a low voice, which in spite of all her
efforts shook a little--"just now at the Vicarage Bazaar I heard Lady
Martin and Mrs. Madgwick talking about me; and they said such terrible
things that I think my heart will break!"

"Oh, come, Mrs. Rose!" His tone had, as he intended, a bracing effect.
"Hearts don't break so easily as that! Whatever those two chatterers may
have said, you must not let it affect you so seriously."

"They said I was common--and ill-bred--and ignorant." The words startled
her hearer, though she spoke them with a kind of dreary quietness which
was not without pathos. "They said Owen only married me because some
girl--an earl's niece--had thrown him over and he wanted to get his own
back--they said he was ashamed of me, that he blushed for me when we
went out to dinner, and everyone pitied him for having such a common,
empty-headed wife."

"My dear Mrs. Rose----" For a moment Herrick's wits deserted him beneath
this recapitulation; and before he could hit on the right words, Toni
had begun again.

"They said it was a pity for a clever man to be tied to an ignorant
wife, that I bored him to death; and Lady Martin said I was a parasite,
clinging to him for money and food, and that I had spoilt his life and
ruined his career----"

"Oh, that is nonsense!" Herrick shook off the mental paralysis which had
held him tongue-tied, and spoke vigorously. "No man's life was ever
spoilt by the possession of a pretty, loving wife--like you."

"Ah, but you don't understand." She spoke drearily. "I _have_ been a
fool, I suppose. I was so happy myself that I never thought of Owen. I
mean I just went on loving him--thinking he loved me. I didn't bother
about his work and his career--it never struck me I should be doing Owen
harm by my ignorance. I knew I wasn't clever enough to help him, but I
thought that didn't matter so long as we were happy...."

"But you _were_ happy?"

"I was." A big tear rolled forlornly down her cheek. "It was so
lovely here--like a beautiful dream--the summer and the river and the
roses ... every day was better than the last and I thought it would
always be like that ... I had never dreamed I could be so happy ... it
was just