Beyond the Rocks

"It is nature," said Colonel Lowerby. "A woman in possession of her

health and faculties requires a mate, and when her husband is attending

to sport or some other man's wife, she is bound to find one somewhere. I

don't blame the poor things."

"Oh, nor I!" said Anne. "I don't ever blame any one. And just one,

because you love him, seems all right, perhaps. It is six different ones

in a year, and a seventh to pay the bills, that I find vulgar."

"Dans les premières passions, les femmes aiment l'amant; et dans les

autres, elles aiment l'amour," quoted the Crow. "It was ever the same,

you see. It is the seventh to pay the bills that seems vulgar and

modern."

"Billy and I stayed there for the pheasant shoot last November, and I

assure you we felt quite out of it, having no little adventures at night

like the rest. Lady Ada is the picture of washed-out respectability

herself, and so--to give her some reflected color, I suppose--she asks

always the most go-ahead, advanced section of her acquaintances."

"Well, I shall be there this time," said the Crow; "she invited me last

week."

This piece of news comforted Lady Anningford greatly. She felt here

would be some one to help matters if he could.

"Morella will be perfectly furious when she gets there and finds she was

not the reason of Hector's empressement for the invitation. And in her

stolid way she can be just as spiteful as Lady Harrowfield."

"Yes, I know."

Then they were both silent for a while--Anne's thoughts busy with the

mournful idea of the end of the House of Bracondale should Hector never

marry, and the Crow's of her in sympathy, his eyes watching her face.

At last she spoke.

"I believe it would be best for Hector to go right away for a year or

so," she sighed. "But, however it may be, I fear, alas! it can only end

in tears."