The Reason Why

n her uncle's drawing-room wh

priceless work of art. There were no touches of feminine influence, no comfortable so

wished the meeting to be short and cold. He came fo

tretched, drop. She did not help him at all; she remained perfectly silent, as usual. She did not even look at him,

e come, of course?" he sa

plied and sai

ry you, you kn

y!" sh

set his teeth-certai

for you, since you

ouraging; it was

, "on the 25th of Octobe

nsented." And she

beside you and

h stood opposite, and herself took a sma

ad a clear and wonderful picture of her. "How could so voluptuous looking a creature be so icily cold?" he wondered. Her wonderful hair seemed burnished like dark copper, in the doub

will be away until a week before our wedding. I wish you were

, I

lose to her, for a moment, his eyes devouring her with the passionate admiration he felt. She glanced up,

stinct of man. For her, that whole side of human beings was simply revolting. In the far back recesses of her mind she knew and felt that caresses and such things might be good if one loved-passionately loved-but in the abstr

but she was no timid nymph, but a fi

ook and drew

hought; he must keep himself under complete control, he knew now

asked her not to expect you to be at home. It was only to

ery good

gement will be in the Morning

inced surprise). "Since it is true

rue. You are so frightfully frigi

ies, the presentations to your family, and such affairs; but I have nothing to say to you: why should we talk when once these things are settled?

standing there, magnificently attractive, stopped him. This was merely one of th

he said. "I am quite willing to

u wish me to see your family on my return; I will carry out what he settles. And now I ne

id, as he sprang forward to open it for her, "but g

that he had not given her the engagement

table, and finding one, sat

If you don't like sapphires it

lieve

ou

ncr

ng-case, inclosed both in a large

," he said to the footman who present

he descende

ffeur. Then he leaned back against the cush

tea, and she was always so

e, and he was shown up into

she was sixteen when her mother had died, and she acted as hostess at the ducal parties, wit

rather plain, and

ould, and there were others who were sharply carved as with a knife. He loved a woman's face to look ciselée, he said. That is why he did not entirely admire his niece, for although th

oo chiseled-she might grow peaky, with old age. But no o

nd, wise, gray eyes. Her figure in its slenderness was a thing which dressmakers

any fad. She loved her father, her aunt, her cousins of the Tancred family, and

e sat down beside her on the chintz-covered sofa. Ethelrida's tastes in furni

Mary is really going

daresay she will, some day. No, gu

e bread and butter. Tristram, she knew, love

man?" she asked

said, with re

s much excitement as she ever permitted hers

n to the name, Laura Highford, before her reason said, "How ridicu

you ever saw, Ethelrida, a type not like any one else. You'll understand in a minute, when you see her. She has stormy black eyes-no, they are not really

nds odd to be going to be married upon!

en jumped up. He was sin

d odd, I admit," he said, "the inference is that I don't know her well-and that is just it, Ethelrida, but only to you would I say it. Look here, my dear girl, I have got to be comforted

er, I am completely in the dark. When did you meet her? Can't you t

t he wanted most to do in life; that she was young and beautiful, rich, and very reserved, and rather cold; that she was going away, until a w

ual current must have touched her cousin's life. She knew the Tancred character, so she said all sorts of nice things to

2nd of November, Ethelrida," he said, "and you will let me bring Zar

aid. "Of course you shall bring your Zara and I myself will write and ask Mr. Mar