It was very possible that her philosophic studies had taught her the art of reflection; and that, as she would have said herself, she was tremendously toned down.

Once, at Baden, when Gordon Wright happened to take upon himself to remark that little Miss Evers was bored by her English gallant, Bernard had ventured to observe, in petto, that Gordon knew nothing about it.

But all this was of no consequence now, and Bernard steered further and further away from the liability to detect fallacies in his friend.

Gordon had engaged himself to marry, and our critical hero had not a grain of fault to find with this resolution.

It was a capital thing; it was just what he wanted; it would do him a world of good.