The Reason Why

Chapter 26

Now if the evening passed with pain and unrest for the bride and

bridegroom, it had quite another aspect for Francis Markrute and Lady

Ethelrida! He was not placed by his hostess to-night at dinner, but when

the power of manipulating circumstances with skill is in a man, and the

desire to make things easy to be manipulated is in a woman, they can

spend agreeable and numerous moments together.

So it fell about that without any apparent or pointed detachment from

her other guests Lady Ethelrida was able to sit in one of the embrasures

of the windows in, the picture gallery, whither the party had migrated

to-night, and talk to her interesting new friend--for that he was growing

into a friend she felt. He seemed so wonderfully understanding, and was

so quiet and subtle and undemonst