souffre. I know it well. Mon Dieu! comme il
souffre."

Mrs. Fermor turned on her with flashing
eyes.

"What do you mean?" she said. "You
forget yourself. I don't want to hear such
things. How dare you?" and she stamped her
foot angrily.

Madame Gay was contrite and deeply penitent.
"Elle me boudait," she said afterwards,
telling the story to a lady of her own country.
"Ciel! comme elle me boudait. But all the time
elle s'y prenait bien, voyez vous. She is a
charming little coquine."

Presently the Frenchwoman, accepting this
indignation as an invitation, came back to the
subject.

"If I dared," she said, "if madame would not
be angry, I would tell her a little secret about
this very dress. I will tell it in a little whisper.
It is all paid for, M. Fairmore——"

With doubt and eagerness and pleasure in her
eyes, Mrs. Fermor turned round hastily. "Yes,"
she said; "go on. Tell me quick!"

Under the rich material of Laura's dress a
little reproach was working.

"M. Fairmore is not to know a word," went
on Madame Gay, with mystery. "It is a
cadeau, a surprise from a true chevalier."

"Take it off, take it off!" said Mrs. Fermor,
hurriedly; "quick, quick! Don't lose a
moment;" and, to the astonishment of the Paris
lady, she began tearing at the rich laces and
ribbons of Laura's dress.

"Madame will destroy it all," said Madame
Gay, distractedly, catching her arms. "Take
care, for the love of God! There, that is
better."

"Go away," said Mrs. Fermor, distractedly;
"leave this house. Never come here again.
Don't pay me any of your horrible
compliments."

"Madame is ill," said the Frenchwoman,
calmly. "Here is the eau-de-Cologne. I shall
come to-morrow evening at the same hour."

When she was gone, Mrs. Fermor threw
herself back in deep affliction. "He has brought
this on me," she said; "my name will be in
everybody's mouth. This dreadful woman will
go round and tell her fine ladies! I shall be
spoken of, pointed at, and I have no one to help
or advise me. No, no, not one." Then she
started up suddenly: "If the world thinks so—
let it think so. It will wring his heart. He
will know too late what he has lost. He is
sensitive about being pointed at; so am I.
When he shall see me admired, with all the
world at my feet, with the great and the noble
worshipping, he will, perhaps, regret what he
has lost." She walked to her glass. Laura's
dress became her wonderfully. The excitement
in her eyes and cheeks became her yet more.
She walked before her glass. "It will do," she
said.

"Indeed it will do," said a voice at the
door; "it is superb and dazzling. Petrarch
admires!"

"Go away," said she, in a frightened voice,
going to the other room. "Why do you come
here at this time? You should not—you know
you should not. Go away quickly, I implore of
you."

"If you act like that on the night," said Mr.
Romaine, placing a chair for himself in the
middle of the room, "it will be the success of
the season."

"You must go," she said, more excitedly, "or
I shall ring, and send for some one."

"Hush!" he said, rising. "I am sure you are
too sensible to make a noise, or bring in people
from the streets, or anything of that sort. No,
no. Listen to me. I heard that the dress was
to be home at this hour, and merely looked in
to see the effect. I have seen it, and am going.
There."

"Ah! the dress. Yes," said Mrs. Fermor,
more excited still. "I shall never put it on
again," repeated Mrs. Fermor, passionately.

"That would be foolish," said he, calmly, "at
now three-quarters past the eleventh hour. I had
no idea the effect would be so good. Let us be
rational. You are displeased, and I believe you
are right. I am hasty sometimes. I shall go
and get my money back from that French creature,
and you shall pay her." This was reasonable,
and Mrs. Fermor had no answer ready.
He went on: "A charming dress—(I am really
going now). And my design, recollect. Why, that
wandering husband of yours, when he sees you in
it, will go down on his knees like a prodigal. I
know these Orsons well. He will be your slave
for the rest of his life. I have known many
cases. Do you see my plan? Isn't it wonderful,
in a wild ogre like me. But I want to do a little
good before I die."

Mrs. Fermor sighed, and shook her head.
"I don't know whether to believe you or not.
I can trust no one now. He is too fond of the
world," she said, "and I am too prosy for
him."

"You talk of his indifference," he said, and
went walking up and down. "I don't believe
it. He is acting a part; I know it. He is burning
to love you, but his cursed pride is in the
way. Else he must be the stupidest, vilest,
most insensible block that ever came into this
world. Else he has dull eyes. Else he is a mere
savage and brute beast. Else he is so wrapped
up in his own vanity and selfishness—his own
utter heartlessness——"

"Mr. Romaine!" said she.

"No, my dear Mrs. Fermor," said he, in
another voice, "trust me, a man of the world.
You will see a marvellous change after the night.
I am like the man on the branch sawing it away
stupidly. Under the new régime I shall be
turned out, never admitted again. That I expect.
It is always the case with me. I believe I
must be going to die, I am getting so good.
All my friends are cutting me. Good night."