catching his wrists in both her hands and holding him off with an
awkward primness, and almost in the same tone that she had used to
Edward Blandford five years before, said:

"There, Dick, that will do."




CHAPTER II


Demorest's dream of a few days' conjugal seclusion and confidences with
his wife was quickly dispelled by that lady. "I came down with Rosita
Pico, whose father, you know, once owned this property," she said.
"She's gone on to her cousins at Los Osos Rancho to-night, but comes
here to-morrow for a visit. She knows the place well; in fact, she once
had a romantic love affair here. But she is very entertaining. It will
be a little change for us," she added, naively.

Demorest kept back a sigh, without changing his gentle smile. "I'm glad
for your sake, dear. But is she not a little flighty and inclined to
flirt a good deal? I think I've heard so."

"She's a young girl who has been severely tried, Richard, and perhaps is
not to blame for endeavoring to forget it in such distraction as she can
find," said Mrs. Demorest, with a slight return of her old manner. "I
can understand her feelings perfectly." She looked pointedly at her
husband as she spoke, it being one of her late habits to openly refer to
their ante-nuptial acquaintance as a natural reaction from the martyrdom