The Spectator., 1915-03-26
CHAPTER Xl-Continued.

For years Martha had discharged her duties, if mechanically yet with a sense of pleasure and serenity. At this moment she was as one pushed unexpectedly to the brink of a preci- pice, over which the slightest misstep would topple her. The world was out of joint.
 "I wish we had gone to Italy" she remarked finally.
 Tt would not have served my pur- pose i' the least. I should have been dancing and playing bridge and going for thinking"
 "Thinking!" Martha elevated her brows with an air that implied that she greatly doubted this statement.
 Yes, thinking It is not necessary that should nope and shut myself up have finally come to the end of my doubts, if that will gratfy you From now on you may rely upon one thing, to a certainty"
 Martha hesitated to put the ques- tion.
 T am not going to marry Arthur. He Is charming. graceful, accom- plished; but want man. I should not be happy with him. can twist him too easily around my finger. ad init that he exercises over me a cer tain indefinable fascination; but when he is out of sight 1t amounts to the sum of all this doddering and doubt. ing. It is probable that I shall make an admirable old maid. Wisdom has its disadvantages. might be very happy with Arthur, were l not so wise" She smiled again at the refiec- tion in the mirror. Now. let us go and astonish the natives"
 There was a mild fiutter of eyelids as she sat down beside Warrington and began to chatter to him in Italian. He made a brave show of following her. but became hopelessly lost after a few minutes. Elsa spoke fluently; twelve years had elapsed since his last visit to Italy. He admitted his con- fusion, and thereafter it was only oc- casionally that she brought the tongue into the conversation. This diversion, which she employed mainly to annoy her neighbors, was, in truth. the very worst thing she could have done. They no longer conjectured: they as sumed.
 Warrington was too strongly dag. zled by her beauty tonight to be men, tally keen or to be observing as was his habit. He never spoke to his neighbor; he had eyes for none but Elsa, under whose spell he knew that he would remain while he lived. He was nothing to her; he readily under stood She was restless and lonely, and he amused her So be it. He be- lieved that there could not be an un- happier, more unfortunate ,.an than himself To have been betrayed by the one he had loved, second to but one. and to have this knowledge thrust upon him after all these years. was evil enough; but the nadir of his mis- fortunes had been reached by the ap- pearance of this unreadable young woman.
 You arc not listening to a word I am saying!"
 ~I beg your pardon! But warned you that my Italian was rusty" He pulled himself together.
 But l have been rattling away in English!"
 And have been woolgathering."
 Not at all complimentary to me-"
 Tt Is because l am very unhappy; 1t is because Tantalus and are broth CTS"
 'I wish could make you forget"
 "On the contrary, the sight of you makes memory all the keener."
 He had never spoken like that be- fore. It rather subdued her. made her regret that she had surrendered to vanity that was without aim or direc. tion. Farthest from her thought was conquest of the man. She did not wish to hurt him. She was not coquette.
 After dinner he did not suggest the usual promenade. Instead. he excused himself and went below.
 They arrived at Penang early Mon. day morning. Elsa decided that War. rington should take her and Martha on . personally conducted tour of the