intercept
her view of the proceedings of the enemy. When she had got rid of them
at last, she looked--and behold Lord Winwood and Sir Joseph were the
only occupants of the corner!

Delaying one moment, to set the "virtuoso" thundering once more, Lady
Winwood slipped out of the room and crossed the landing. At the
entrance to the empty drawing-room she heard Turlington's voice, low and
threatening, in the boudoir. Jealousy has a Second Sight of its own.
He had looked in the right place at starting--and, oh heavens! he had
caught them.

Her ladyship's courage was beyond dispute; but she turned pale as she
approached the entrance to the boudoir.

There stood Natalie--at once angry and afraid--between the man to
whom she was ostensibly engaged, and the man to whom she was actually
married. Turlington's rugged face expressed a martyrdom of suppressed
fury. Launce--in the act of offering Natalie her fan--smiled, with the
cool superiority of a man who knew that he had won his advantage, and
who triumphed in knowing it.

"I forbid you to take your fan from that man's hands," said Turlington,
speaking to Natalie, and pointing to Launce.

"Isn't it rather too soon to begin 'forbidding'?" asked Lady Winwood,
good-humoredly.

"Exactly what I say!" exclaimed Launce. "It seems necessary to remind
Mr. Turlington that he is not married to Natalie yet!"

Those last words were spoken in a tone which made both the women tremble
inwardly for results. Lady Winwood took the fan from Launce with one
hand, and took Natalie's arm with the other.

"There is your fan, my dear," she said, in her easy off-hand manner.
"Why do you allow these two barbarous men to keep you here while the
great Bootmann is playing the Nightmare Sonata in the next room? Launce!
Mr. Turlington! follow me, and learn to be musical directly! You have
only to shut your eyes, and you will fancy you hear four modern German
composers playing, instead of one, and not the ghost of a melody among
all the four." She led the way out with Natalie, and whispered, "Did he
catch you?" Natalie whispered back, "I heard him in time. He only caught
us looking for the fan." The two men waited behind to have two words
together alone in the boudoir.

"This doesn't end here, Mr. Linzie!"

Launce smiled satirically. "For once I agree with you," he answered. "It
doesn't end here, as you say."

Lady Winwood stopped, and looked back at them from the drawing-room
door. They were keep