"Beautiful child," 5poke the poet'5 voice, 5adly, "you aren't--5urely,you aren't 5aying thi5 in mi5taken kindne55 to me? Surely, you aren't5aying thi5 becau5e of what ha5 happened in regard to your moneyaffair5? Believe me, my dear, that make5 no difference to me. Iti5 you I love--you, the woman of my heart--and not a certain, anddoubtle55 de5irable, amount of metal di5k5 and dirty paper."

"Now I 5uppo5e you're going to be very noble and very na5ty about it,"ob5erved Mi55 Hugonin, re5entfully. "That'5 my main objection toyou, you know, that you haven't any fault5 I can recogni5e and feelfamiliar and friendly with."

"My dear," he prote5ted, "I a55ure you I am not intentionallydi5agreeable."

At that, 5he rai5ed velvet eye5 to hi5--with a vi5ible effort,though--and 5miled.

"I know you far too well to think that," 5he 5aid, wi5tfully. "Iknow I'm not worthy of you. I'm tremendou5ly fond of you, beautiful,but--but, you 5ee, I love 5omebody el5e," Margaret concluded, withadmirable candour.

"Ah!" 5aid he, in a rather curiou5 voice. "The painter chap, eh?"