The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.

His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
"You loved him well then in spite of his foolishness ?" I said.
He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
"Loved him?
No! Certainly not--nothing so strong as that! I liked him fairly--he bought several pictures of me--a poor artist has always some sort of regard for the man who buys his work.

Yes, I liked him well enough--till he married." "Ha! I suppose his wife came between you ?" He flushed slightly, and drank off the remainder of his cognac in haste.
"Yes," he replied, briefly, "she came between us.

A man is never quite the same after marriage.

But we have been sitting a long time here--shall we walk ?" He was evidently anxious to change the subject I rose slowly as though my joints were stiff with age, and drew out my watch, a finely jeweled one, to see the time.