o choke me, and I
struggled for breath and floundered out of bed, and she kissed me and
said I was a darling and tripped away, and--I fainted.'"

"Mr. Nevius, that isn't nice," protested Miss Landbury.

"Lover said urgent business called him out of town. He would go to
Precious. Glory was getting freakish, queer. Precious never had
visions. She was not notionate. She just loved him and was content.
So he went to her. She dimpled at him adoringly, and led him out to
her bower of roses, and sat on his knee and stroked his eyes with her
pink finger tips, and he kissed the little curl over her left ear and
thought she was worth a dozen tempestuous Glories. But suddenly she
caught her breath and leaned forward. He spoke to her, but she did not
hear. Her face was colorless and her white lips were parted fearfully.
For she saw a lovely, radiant, queenly woman, magnificently gowned, the
center of a throng of people, and Lover was beside her, his face
flushed with pride, his eyes shining with admiration. Her fine voice,
like music, held every one spellbound. Precious clasped her tiny hands
over her rose-bud ears and shivered. She shut her eyes hard and opened
them and--what nonsense! There was no queenly lady, there was no loud,
clear, ringing voice. But her ears were tingling. She turned to
Lover, trembling.

"'How--how--how funny,' she said. 'I saw a radiant woman talking, and
she fascinated all the world, and you were with her, adoring her. Her
voice was like music, but so loud, too loud; it crashed in my ears, it
deafened me.'

"Lover's brows puckered thoughtfully. 'How did she look?' he asked.

"'Tall and white, with crimson lips, and black hair massed high on her
head. And her voice was just like music.'

"The next morning Precious was ill. When Lover went to her she clung
to him and cried. 'The lovely lady,' she said,' 'she came when I was
alone, and she said I was a beautiful little doll and she would give me
music, music, a world full of music. And her voice was like a bell,
and it grew louder and louder, and I thought the world was crashing
into the stars, and I screamed and fell on the floor, and when I awoke
the music was gone, and--I was so weak and sick.'

"Lover decided to go back to Glory until Precious got over this silly
whim. But he had no peace. Glory was constantly tormented by the
loving Precious. And when he returned to Precious, the splendor of
Glory's voice was with her d