"It's certainly useless to make a secret of the matter now," he said; "but I don't see my way to making it more public still." He paused, and looked at Mr.Hethcote.

"It so happens, sir," he resumed, "that this unfortunate affair is an example of some of the Rules of our Community, which I had not had time to speak of, when Mr.Dingwell here joined us.

It will be a relief to me to contradict these abominable falsehoods to somebody; and I should like (if you don't mind) to hear what you think of my conduct, from your own point of view.

It might prepare me," he added, smiling rather uneasily, "for what I may find in the English newspapers." With these words of introduction he told his sad story--jocosely described in the newspaper heading as "Miss Mellicent and Goldenheart among the Socialists at Tadmor.".