He was telling her such a good story about a mutual friend--the son of a great chancellor of the great empire of Kakotopia--who had gambled away his wife at cards with another mutual friend.
"And the point of the story," said the Duke, "is that the lady did not object in the least.

Just fancy, you know, we all knew her, and now she is married again to--" At this point Claudius strode up, and Margaret, who did not care to hear any more, interrupted the Duke.
"Dr.Claudius, I have our book here.

Shall we read ?" The Doctor's face flushed with pleasure.

The Duke stared.
"I will get a chair," he said; and his long legs made short work of it.
"Well, if you will believe it," said the Duke, who meant to finish his story, "it was not even the man who won her at cards that she married when she was divorced.

It was a man you never met; and they are living in some place in Italy." The Duke could hardly believe his eyes when Claudius boldly marched up with his chair and planted himself on Margaret's other side.