"He adores you," replied the Earl, bending his great eyes on her. "And are you not the guardian angel of our house?" He smiled in a light bitterness. "You are hard worked, I know, my dear, but I must ask you to save Marius." "To save Marius? From whom?" "From himself," said my lord; "from me." Miss Chressham moved back against the wall. "You think I have no right to speak," continued the Earl, smiling, "of anything--but, you said I was not frank with you, now I tell you openly. He plays at consoling the Countess. I shall not take that; cannot you find occasion to remind him of what he may not do?" Miss Chressham moistened her lips. "Marius is very young and romantical," she said in a low voice; "he is absolutely honourable, Rose." "As honourable as the rest of us," replied my lord. "But I do not object to his morals, my dear, only let him go abroad for his amusements." Susannah seemed to rouse herself from some shivering absorption in hastily projected visions of disaster. "You take this heavily enough," she said. "I had liked it better if such had been your tone with regard to Miss Boyle." He answered quickly. "The Countess is my wife--that begins and ends it. If Marius is not a fool he will understand." Susannah was hotly scornful. "What did you expect of her? I do not take your view of it; better for her to coquette with Marius than to put that paragraph in the _Gazette_--_that_ was the unforgivable thing." My lord was silent, but his half-veiled eyes were mocking. "He has not had the chance for more than a few words with her since his return," continued Susannah. "He is simple and she is heartless, but----" "But you speak against your own convictions," interrupted the Earl. "You _know_, as I know, Susannah, what is happening, and there must be an end of it; if Marius and I meet behind Montague House----" "He could rouse you to that," cried Susannah incredulously, "when you were cold before Sir Francis?" "This concerns me more," said my lord. "Miss Boyle's name is not in my keeping--ah! God knows it is all very miserable," he made a disdainful gesture with his hand, "and paltry, too, but there are some things--tell Marius not to force it to an issue between us." Miss Chressham looked at him keenly, but his tired, composed face, with the slightly amused smile on the beautiful lips, told her as much as his words and no more. The music began again and the Earl glanced towards the ballroom. "It is 'La Louvre'; have you a partner?" "I am not dancing," she answered wearily. "I am engaged to Miss Trefusis----" "Oh, leave me," cried Susannah. "There is nothing more for either of us to say; I am going home." He crossed to her side and kissed her hand affectionately. "You are a great deal too good for any of us, my dear," he said feelingly. She turned her glance aside, withdrew her hand and stepped back from his gorgeous presence. My lord replaced his mask and flung the pink domino over his shoulder.