But fate has cut me out for a bachelor." He knocked the ash from a cold pipe, filled and lighted it.
"By the way," he said, "I received a curious letter to-day." Its production would relieve the awkwardness of the moment.

"Would you like to see it ?" opening the drawer and handing the letter to her.
"It's one of the few letters of the sort I'm going to keep." She accepted the letter, but without any spirit of interest.

For a moment a thought had all but swept her off her feet; yet she realized instantly that this thought was futile.

Warrington did not love her; and there was nothing to do but to follow out the course she had planned.

She had come to him that night with a single purpose in mind: to plumb the very heart of this man who was an enigma to every woman he met.