'The world! And do you regard the world, Louis?'

'Lady Milborough, I believe, spoke to yourself.'

'Lady Milborough! No, she did not speak to me. She began to do so,
but I was careful to silence her at once. From you, Louis, I am
bound to hear whatever you may choose to say to me; but I will not
hear from any other lips a single word that may be injurious to
your honour.' This she said very quietly, with much dignity, and
he felt that he had better not answer her. She had given him the
promise which he had demanded, and he began to fear that if he
pushed the matter further she might go back even from that amount
of submission. So he kissed her again, and had the boy brought into
the room, and by the time that he went to dress for dinner he was
able, at any rate, to seem to be well pleased.

'Richard,' he said to the servant, as soon as he was downstairs,
'when Colonel Osborne calls again, say' that your mistress is not
at home.' He gave the order in the most indifferent tone of voice
which he could assume; but as he gave it he felt thoroughly ashamed
of it. Richard, who, with the other servants, had of course known
that there had been a quarrel between his master and mistress for
the last two days, no doubt understood all about it.

While they were sitting at dinner on the next day, a Saturday,
there came another note from Colonel Osborne. The servant brought
it to his mistress, and she, when she had looked at it, put it down
by her plate. Trevelyan knew immediately from whom the letter had
come, and understood how impossible it was for his wife to give