'Well, on this account my married life with him was not of the most
comfortable kind.' (Lady Constantine's voice dropped to a more
pathetic note.) 'I am sure I gave him no cause for suspicion;
though had I known his disposition sooner I should hardly have dared
to marry him. But his jealousy and doubt of me were not so strong
as to divert him from a purpose of his,--a mania for African lion-
hunting, which he dignified by calling it a scheme of geographical
discovery; for he was inordinately anxious to make a name for
himself in that field. It was the one passion that was stronger
than his mistrust of me. Before going away he sat down with me in
this room, and read me a lecture, which resulted in a very rash
offer on my part. When I tell it to you, you will find that it
provides a key to all that is unusual in my life here. He bade me
consider what my position would be when he was gone; hoped that I
should remember what was due to him,--that I would not so behave
towards other men as to bring the name of Constantine into
suspicion; and charged me to avoid levity of conduct in attending
any ball, rout, or dinner to which I might be invited. I, in some
contempt for his low opinion of me, volunteered, there and then, to
live like a cloistered nun during his absence; to go into no society
whatever,--scarce even to a neighbour's dinner-party; and demanded
bitterly if that would satisfy him. He said yes, held me to my
word, and gave me no loophole for retracting it. The inevitable
fruits of precipitancy have resulted to me: my life has become a
burden. I get such invitations as these' (holding up the cards),
'but I so invariably refuse them that they are getting very rare. .
. . I ask you, can I honestly break that promise to my husband?'

Mr. Torkingham seemed embarrassed. 'If you promised Sir Blount
Constantine to live in solitude till he comes back, you are, it