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While she was speaking her eyes sparkled roguishly, and I had taken hold of her hands without exactly knohat to do with theain

"Your frankness," I said, "delights ain throttled h there were a rope around my neck

"You were about to say--"

"I was about to say--I was--I a pause She is doubtless engaging in a e would be cole word, "donkey"

"If I an, "how did you arrive at these--these conclusions?"

"Quite sient man From my cradle onward I was surrounded by replicas of ancient art; at ten years of age I read Gil Blas, at twelve La Pucelle Where others had Hop-o'-my-thumb, Bluebeard, Cinderella, as childhood friends, mine were Venus and Apollo, Hercules and Lackoon My husband's personality was filled with serenity and sunlight Not even the incurable illness which fell upon hi cloud his brow On the very night of his death he tookin his wheel chair, he often said jokingly to me: 'Well, have you already picked out a lover?' I blushed with shame 'Don't deceive ly to me, but pick out an attractive lover, or preferably several You are a splendid woman, but still half a child, and you need toys'

"I suppose, I hardly need tell you that during his life tih hioddess," I interrupted

"Which one," she ser and knitted her brows "Perhaps, even a 'Venus in Furs' Watch out, I have a large, very large fur, hich I could cover you up entirely, and I have a mind to catch you in it as in a net"

"Do you believe," I said quickly, for an idea which seeood, in spite of its conventionality and triteness, flashed into my head, "do you believe that your theories could be carried into execution at the present ti our railroads and telegraphs in all her undraped beauty and serenity?"