Lady Wolfer rose abruptly and, with a short, hard laugh, began to pace

up and down the room.

"He does not care in the least!" she said, in a harsh, strained voice.

"Why did you come in to-night? I wish you hadn't! I--I wanted to be

alone. No, do not go! Stay, now you are here," for Nell had moved to

the door. She went back and laid her hand on the unhappy woman's arm.

"Won't you tell me what is the matter?" she said.

Lady Wolfer stopped and sank into the chair again.

"I'm almost tempted to!" she said, with a reckless laugh. "It might be

useful to you--as a 'frightful example,' as the temperance people say.

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Oh, don't you know? You are young and innocent, Nell, but--but you

cannot fail to have seen how wretched I am! Nell, you are not only young

and innocent, but beautiful. You have all your life before you--you,

too, will have to choose your fate--for we do choose it! Don't wreck

your life as I have wrecked mine; don't, don't marry a man who does not

love you--as I did!"

"Hush!" said Nell, startled and shocked. "You are wrong, quite wrong!"

Lady Wolfer laughed bitterly.

"I've said too much; I may as well tell you all," she said, with a shrug

of her white shoulders. "It was a marriage of convenience. We--my

people--were poor, and it was a great match for me. There was no talk of

love--love!" She laughed again, and the laugh made Nell wince. "It was

just a bargain. Such bargains are made every day in this vile marriage

market of ours. I was as innocent as you, Nell. The glitter of the

thing--the title, the big house, the position--dazzled me. I thought I

should be more contented and satisfied. Other girls have done the same

thing, and they seemed happy enough. But I suppose I am different. I

wearied of the whole thing--the title, the big house, the diamonds,

everything--before the first month. I wanted something else; I scarcely

knew what----Ah, yes, I did! I did! I wanted love--the thing they all

laugh and sneer at! I had sold myself for gold and place and power, and

when I had gotten them they all turned to Dead Sea fruit, dust and

ashes, on my lips!"

She gripped her hands tightly, and bent lower over the fire, and Nell

sank on her knees beside her, pale herself, and incapable of speech.

"For a time I tried to bear it, to live the weary, dragging life; then,

when I was nearly mad--I tried to find relief in the world outside my

own home. I was supposed to be clever--clever! I could write and talk. I

took up this woman's rights business!" She laughed again. "All the time

they were lauding me to the skies and flattering and fooling me, I knew

how stupid the whole thing was. But it seemed the only chance for me,

the only way of forgetting myself and--and my slavery. At any rate, it

served as an excuse for getting out of the house, for not inflicting my

presence upon the man who had bought me, and who regarded me simply as

the figurehead for his table, the person to receive his guests and play

the necessary part in his public life."




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