"Why can't one be happy one's own way? What a cursed nuisance society is !" he groans to himself. But, after all, the impediments in the way make him prize his little fiancée more.

The happy day is over. Dolores is back in her room at the hotel, and Guy is taking leave of her.

"I wish you would stay with me," she says, wistfully. "In two hours Mary will be here, and oh! what shall I say to her ?" "Say?" replies Guy, cheerily-" say? Why, say" but here he pauses, not finding it altogether easy to make a suggestion.

The girl looks inquiringly at him. Guy clasps his hands round the handle of his umbrella, from which he is as loth to part as most men, and looks hard at it, as if some happy inspiration might come from contemplation of it.

"It is awkward," he confesses presently, rather gloomily.

"Don't you think," says Dolores, laying

a timid hand on his arm-" don't you you might tell her ?"

think

"I!" rising hurriedly-" I, my dear little girl!-impossible!"

His mind conjures up a she-dragon. Captain Etherege's sister will probably be a hard, angular old maid, who would take a pleasure in saying things very unpleasant for him to hear, and rather difficult to reply to. But, such being the case, is it fair to leave Dolores to her tender mercies ?

"Tell me," he asks, hesitatingly,-"is she very severe and awful, this Miss Etherege ?" And his face unconsciously elongates, until Dolores cannot help smiling.

“Oh, no, no,” she answers; "how could you think so? She is so good-so good; I am quite sure she never said an angry word to anyone in her life. That makes it worse-she will be so grieved. But I shall tell her he was not very unhappy.

He was not-was he?" she asks, looking anxiously at Guy,-" or he would not have given me up so easily."

"People have such different ways of showing their feelings," he answers, with a slight shrug. "I don't think, under the circumstances, I should-"

But here he pauses, and the colour deepens in the girl's cheek.

"Well, dearest," he concludes, hastily, "I must run away now; and you will write me a little line to-night, and tell me how the interview went off, and whether my sister may call in the morning and see Miss Etherege. Of course," he adds, with some warmth, "if she gets angry, and makes a scene, we must take you away at once. I won't have my little pet

bullied."

"Ah!" she says, sighing, "there is no fear of that."

66

Well, good-bye, my darling. I am

glad you say you have had a pleasant day;

we will have many much pleasanter ones, please God, when we get through all these confounded proprieties."

She lays her hand lingeringly on his sleeve, her eyes hang upon his face wistfully. A less vain man than Guy might have been pardoned for saying in his heart, "How she loves me !" The thought comes suddenly and grievously across him—“ Oh! to be loved like that by the right woman!" And then, smitten with self-reproach for the involuntary infidelity, he stoops and kisses her very tenderly. An intuitive perception seems to come across her, for, fond though the caress is, a pang of disappointment shoots through her heart.

"Good-bye," she says; and there are tears in her eyes.

"Good-bye, my darling; do not forget to write to me to-night. All will be well soon." And, with a cheery smile and nod, he is gone.

231

CHAPTER XIII.

GUY AND ADRIAN.

T is all over-the story is told-with

IT

hesitations, with tears, with pitiful little excuses; and it is heard patiently and painfully by the compassionate sister. She does not blame the child, whose story she knows, and in her heart of hearts she had never thought the marriage quite a suitable one; but even she, who has so firm a faith in an all-wise Providence, cannot but wonder why all these cruel blows should be dealt on Philip, who never in his life, to her knowledge, had caused suffering to any human being.