Hugh could never listen to her patiently five minutes at a time; that is why he said he wished she was dumb!  Oh, Guy!  I feel so grieved.  She is so sensitive at heart, for all her silliness, while Hugh is hasty and hot-tempered.  How cruel of him to spoil her life, if he only married her for the chance resemblance to me, and it would be just like Hugh to tell her of it in one of his outbursts of temper.  It has made me feel so unhappy that I could not finish my letter; I feel as if I were to blame in some way.”

“Do not feel so troubled about it, my little wife; perhaps she will so improve under Hugh’s tuition that she will be glad that her chance likeness was the means of making her his wife.  I have often wondered, Dexie, how you refused him yourself.  He seemed so persistent it is a wonder that he did not take you from me,” drawing her closer to his side.  “He seemed to have every quality that women most admire in a man.”

“Well, I did admire him—­at a distance—­a long distance, you know,” she laughingly answered, “but directly we were near enough to talk to each other, we were sure to disagree.  What a charming married couple we would have made!” and both laughed at the mental picture.  “Poor Nina! she has not the spirit to stand the first unkind word.  I do hope Hugh will not be rough with her.”

“I have a better opinion of Hugh McNeil than to think he will be rough with his own wife.  From what I saw of him I rather admired him, and I hope he will be happy in his married life.”

“I hope so, too, but—­I fear for Nina.  Let me read Elsie’s letter to you, and you will understand the situation, for she is such an innocent little kitten that she has disclosed more than she is aware of”: 

“I cannot call you by your new name yet, but I hope you will not mind, for you will always be just ‘Dexie’ to me.  I know that I ought to begin my letter with best wishes and congratulations, but I cannot do it honestly, so it would not be honor bright.  Your marriage has made such a disturbance here that I do not know what to think, only that I am sure you are not to blame for it; so I wish you to know the story, even though Cora often says, ‘I hope Dexie will never hear about this.’

“When I received the papers you sent me containing the announcement of your marriage, I, very naturally, read it out for the benefit of the rest in the room, never thinking I was doing anything out of the way; but that horrid Hugh McNeil was present, and before I had quite finished reading it he jumped to his feet and glared at me till I screamed with fright.  Then he snatched the paper from me, and tore it in a thousand pieces, and stamped and stormed about the room till I felt sure he was crazy, then I ran from the room in terror.  Then, as if that were not enough, Cora followed me out and said she had a good mind to box my ears for reading it out before Hugh, and yet I am quite sure that she likes you as much