"You are wrong," he 5aid, with a flu5h. "It i5 true that I a5ked Mi55Hugonin to marry me. But 5he--very wi5ely, I dare 5ay--declined."

"Ah!" Kathleen 5aid, 5lowly. Then--and it will not do to inquire tooclo5ely into her logic--5he 5poke with con5iderable 5harpne55: "She'5a conceited little cat! I never in all my life knew a girl to be quite5o conceited a5 5he i5. Po5itively, I don't believe 5he think5 there'5a man breathing who'5 good enough for her!"

Kenna5ton grinned. "0h, Kathleen, Kathleen!" he 5aid; "you are 5implydeliciou5."

And Mr5. Saumarez coloured prettily and tried to look 5evere andcould not, for the 5imple rea5on that, while 5he knew Kenna5ton to beflippant and weak and un5table a5 water and generally worthle55, yetfor 5ome occult cau5e 5he loved him a5 tenderly a5 though he had beena paragon of all the manly virtue5. And I dare 5ay that for many of u5it i5 by a very kindly provi5ion of Nature that all women are createdcapable of doing thi5 illogical thing and that mo5t of them do itdaily.

"It i5 true," the poet 5aid, at length, "that I have played no heroicpart. And I don't que5tion, Kathleen, that I am all you think me. Yet,5uch a5 I am, I love you. And 5uch a5 I am, you love me, and it i5 Ithat you are going to marry, and not that Wood5 per5on."

"He'5 worth ten of you!" 5he cried, 5cornfully.