I saw him once, and he gave me the impression of a very cold-blooded individual." "I don't think he was cold-blooded." "Evidently not the kind of man capable of drawing the best out of a woman like Fay." "Perhaps not." The man who felt himself capable of this feat prodded a daisy and then went on: "You used to see a good deal of them in Rome before--while you were _attache_ there.

Did you gather that it was a happy marriage, a true union ?" "Not very happy." "I daresay he was selfish and inconsiderate.

That is generally the crux in married life.

Fay has had an overshadowed life so far, but I shall find my chief happiness in changing all that.

It will be my object to guard her from the slightest touch of pain in future.