.

' She interrupted him, calm of voice, and with uplifted hand: 'I never said so, did I?
Surely I could not have said such a thing! I certainly don't remember it ?' Leonard was puzzled.
'You certainly made me think so.

You asked me to marry you, didn't you ?' Her answer came calmly, though in a low voice: 'I did.' 'Then if you didn't love me, why did you ask me to marry you ?' It was his nature to be more or less satisfied when he had put any one opposed to him proportionally in the wrong; and now his exultation at having put a poser manifested itself in his tone.

This, however, braced up Stephen to cope with a difficult and painful situation.

It was with a calm, seemingly genial frankness, that she answered, smilingly: 'Do you know, that is what has been puzzling me from that moment to this!' Her words appeared to almost stupefy Leonard.