Black's impression: she discovered it so nearly that she was certain Osgood had talked of her with him. Why had he? she wondered. In a few minutes the party fell apart as naturally as it had come together. Lily went on her walk with Barclay; after which she retired to dress for luncheon, but instead of appearing thereat kept her room till evening. Osgood avoided every body; he was tormented with an idea that Lily had suffered. There was no reason for his thinking so; he derived the idea from reasoning with himself--reasoning which meeting with her had put in play. In the evening he went to the drawing-room, and waited till he saw her come in. Barclay, who was waiting too, darted toward her, but Osgood reached her first. When Barclay saw Lily take the arm which Osgood offered her, he turned away; but changing his mind again went up to them. "Osgood," he said, in a frank voice, "you have not congratulated me on my engagement to your friend Lily." Talk of heroes and martyrs; was not Lily both, at that moment, standing between these two men, with her hair dressed by a barber, and wearing a pale blue silk? She eyed with a dainty air a little bouquet she held in her hand, of tea-roses and geraniums, and applied it to her nose with great deliberation. She felt an impetus from Osgood's arm. He had not answered Barclay, but was dragging her decorously out of the drawing-room. When they were alone he spoke to her. "I have faced death since I saw you. I have grown a man; but until now, I did not know that I loved you. Which man do you belong to?" "I have faced life since I saw you," she answered, in a silvery voice, "and I belong to Barclay Dodge." "Let us go back." She tossed her bouquet over the railing of the veranda with a vindictive smile which would have astonished Osgood had he seen it. Barclay was on the threshold; he looked at Lily and missed the bouquet; it was not in Osgood's button-hole--what could she have done with it? He looked at Osgood, and saw that his teeth were set with a passion which he could understand. Lily sat down in the nearest chair, and the young men moved away together. "There is no need of any nonsense between us," said Osgood; "I was under a wrong impression regarding your engagement. I do offer my congratulations." "Thank you," said Barclay, dubiously. And then they looked at each other with mad eyes. What a relief it would have been if they could have fought to the death! Osgood left Barclay abruptly, and sought his Aunt Formica. "Aunt!" he said, in a mild voice, "you need not ask Conch to blow any horn for me. I am going to sea." "You will be better when she is married," she answered, significantly. "I intend to before that. Your surmise is incorrect. You do not know that I ran away from Lily, as well as from you and the Sub-Treasury." "What do you mean?" "I offered myself to her; she accepted me, and on the strength of it I left her immediately. What do you think of me?"