might have married this man and yet retained the name by which she was known upon the stage and in that case dick would be secure from any serious he made up his mind however not to give up his point of staying to the last until he should be out of the place in order to discover this for certain mr if such he were would scarcely go through the farce of leaving him in the house and then returning to it after his departure mr had already suffered much and had even done wrong to his own conscience for of bis friend but the other guests bad taken their departure he found a worse than all that liad yet taken place awaiting him mr wished to ask madame la s opinion regarding certain points in the mad physician and this involved and mr s listening to it the man had an infamous delivery the chariot wheels in the gates which he drove them forth and the chariot besides was not worth driving i am afraid i weary you mr the author after half an hour of this his tone was not however it seemed to say but yon have only to go to bed you weary me very much said frankly how these two young hated one another but i have got a few remarks to make to madame before i go respecting my own piece oh dear said mr i did not know that i was business of such great im and after a few more he took himself off noticed not for the first time that his hostess wore a wedding ring it signified little of course it might be only fifteen worth of respectability still it gave him hopes that though she was probably not married to this man she might have been married to somebody else � no matter who so long as he was alive you wish to speak to about the said she quietly when he was left alone with her and mrs my dear madam i confess that i do not that was a mere to get rid of mr but i have something of to say to of a private nature and he glanced at the walking as though he would like to see her walk i have no secrets from mrs observed madame and with a certain severity she thinks i am going to make love to her on her own account thought mr and what is worse she doesn t like it there was no alternative but to tell his tale in the presence of a third person there was with me in the theatre to night madam an old friend of mine � and yours � one richard madame did not move a muscle she said the name sounds to me why cried mrs starting to her feet it s master dick from of course it is mother answered calmly i saw him in the to night well sir yes i know him chapter i will not seek out with that yes i know him of madame s a strange change came over her face it was calm and quiet enough and her eyes regarded mr with steady composure but he felt that under that mask of gentleness and grace and beauty there was a sharp pain only a quiver oi wo � id � � u of the lip i betrayed it aad � k i� so i xv x less black than we re perceived it but mr s heart was very kind i have come here to night madam as richard s friend said he upon a very errand let us say delicate mr put in his hostess quickly your difficulty lies in your regard for my feelings do not spare them and then your task will be easy speak to me she went on in bitter scorn as to a low bom woman who once attempted and failed to induce a young gentleman of fortune and position to marry her and who ward became an upon the stage what need is there of in such a case the humility of her words contrasted strangely with the of her tone and carriage it was as though a penitent instead of with sheet and should make her confession in royal robes you came here she continued to see me at my worst and to report upon it i do not say she added for the color had rushed into the cheeks of her young guest that you did it willingly the part of a spy is not suited to your character mr and you play it ill let me relieve you from your embarrassment she went on in tones i will tell you my story without putting yon to the pain � for you are a gentleman � of cross examination yon may not believe me but any inquiries you may think it worth your while to make will me in every particular mrs here is my mother i have lived with her ever since i left aunt s roof my life has been as free from taint � though not perhaps from temptation � as that of your own sister or of her mother before her i believe it cried mr with sudden impulse he could not help it her words her looks her tone carried conviction with them and he was too generous not to acknowledge it thank you answered she gi and the more so because i know you wished to have found it otherwise poor mr grew purple under her keen eyes indeed madam you do me wrong he stammered i do not sir what you hoped to have to say to your friend was this the girl that you went mad about when you were a boy has become an abandoned woman � wanton vile to have married her in the old days would have been humiliation but to do 