sharply. He saw that she had in no way recovered her agitation yet, and
that she could hardly bear her companion's brainless chatter over this
wedding.

"That has been no ordinary love affair," said this astute Frenchman to
himself. "I must decidedly cultivate this young lady's acquaintance, for
I mean to pay you out well yet, ma belle Hélène."

"How fortunate it was we happened to be passing just as it was going on.
I wouldn't have missed seeing that lovely lavender satin the bride wore
for worlds; did you notice the cut of the jacket front, Vera; it was
something new; she looked as happy as possible too. I daresay her first
marriage was a _coup manqué_; they generally are when women marry again."

"Suppose we take these three chairs in the shade," suggested Monsieur
D'Arblet, cutting short, unceremoniously the string of her remarks, which
apparently were no more soothing to himself than to Miss Nevill.

They sat down, and for the space of half an hour Monsieur D'Arblet
proceeded to make himself politely agreeable to Miss Nevill, and he
succeeded so well in amusing her by his conversation, that by the time
they all got up to go the natural bloom had returned to her cheeks, and
she was talking to him quite easily and pleasantly, as though no
catastrophe in her life had happened but an hour ago.

"You will come back with us to lunch, Monsieur D'Arblet?"

"I shall be delighted, madame."

"If you will excuse me, Cissy, I am not going to lunch with you to-day,"