"But, answer me,--do you believe Lady Bernard would invite her to meet her friends if she knew all?" "Depend upon it, Lady Bernard knows what she is about. People of her rank can afford to be unconventional." This irritated me yet more, for it implied that I was influenced by the conventionality which both he and my husband despised; and Sarah opening the door that instant, I stepped in, without even saying good-night to him. Before she closed it, however, I heard my husband's voice, and ran out again to welcome him. He and Roger had already met in the little front garden. They did not shake hands--they never did--they always met as if they had parted only an hour ago. "What were you and my wife quarrelling about, Rodge?" I heard Percivale ask, and paused on the middle of the stair to hear his answer. "How do you know we were quarrelling?" returned Roger gloomily. "I heard you from the very end of the street," said my husband. "That's not so far," said Roger; for indeed one house, with, I confess, a good space of garden on each side of it, and the end of another house, finished the street. But notwithstanding the shortness of the distance it stung me to the quick. Here had I been regarding, not even with contempt, only with disgust, the quarrel in which Miss Clare was mixed up; and half an hour after, my own voice was heard in dispute with my husband's brother from the end of the street in which we lived! I felt humiliated, and did not rush down the remaining half of the steps to implore my husband's protection against Roger's crossness. "Too far to hear a wife and a brother, though," returned Percivale jocosely. "Go on," said Roger; "pray go on. _Let dogs delight_ comes next. I beg Mrs. Percivale's pardon. I will amend the quotation: 'Let dogs delight to worry'"-- "Cats," I exclaimed; and rushing down the steps, I kissed Roger before I kissed my husband. "I meant--I mean--I was going to say _lambs_." "Now, Roger, don't add to your vices flattery and"-- "And fibbing," he subjoined. "I didn't say so." "You only meant it." "Don't begin again," interposed Percivale: "Come in, and refer the cause in dispute to me." We did go in, and we did refer the matter to him. By the time we had between us told him the facts of the case, however, the point in dispute between us appeared to have grown hazy, the fact being that neither of us cared to say any thing more about it. Percivale insisted that there was no question before the court. At length Roger, turning from me to his brother, said,-- "It's not worth mentioning, Charley; but what led to our irreconcilable quarrel was this: I thought Wynnie might have accepted Miss Clare's invitation to walk in and pay her a visit; and Wynnie thought me, I suppose, too ready to sacrifice her dignity to the pleasure of seeing a little more of the object of our altercation. There!" My husband turned to me and said,--