could not, and I should be only acting basely and wickedly towards you, though you will not think it more basely and wickedly than I am now acting with you, if I had gone on pretending that I could, and had burdened you for life with a soured and discontented woman. I have no more to say. "MARIAN." "You do not repent of what you said to me this morning, Marian?" said Mr. Creswell in a whisper, as he took her in to dinner. "On the contrary," she replied in the same tone, "I am too happy to have been able to gratify you by saying it." "What has happened with Miss A.?" whispered Gertrude to Maude, at the same time; "I don't like the look in her eyes." And certainly they did look triumphant, almost insolently so, when their glance fell on the girls. CHAPTER XX. DURING THE INTERVAL. Saturday morning, the day after that on which Joyce had sent off the eventful letter to Marian. Twelve o'clock, and no appearance as yet of Lady Caroline Mansergh, who had sent word that she had a slight headache, and would take her breakfast in her room. Lady Hetherington hated people having breakfast in their rooms: it did not, of course, inconvenience her in the least; she herself was never particularly lively in the morning, and spoke very little, and disliked being spoken to, so that it was not the loss of companionship that she regretted; it was merely what people called a "fad" of hers, that the household generally should assemble at the breakfast-table, and she was annoyed when anything occurred to prevent it.