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This ti with an attehter tone

"Well, that's the story--and a pretty glooht to inflict my private sorrows on you, and so----"

She interrupted hih she had not heard his last words

"Dr Anstice, when you realized what had happened, what did you do? I land? I suppose you did come back, after that?"

"Yes I had an intervieith the ed his shoulders, a bittermoment "What did I do? Well, I did what a dozen other fellows etfulness of the past by various ht of what had happened in every way I could, and e a hundred ti to escape"

For the first time Iris looked perplexed

"I don't think I understand," she said, and again Anstice's face changed

"No," he said, and his voice was gentle, "of course you don't And there's no reason why you should Let us leave theso patiently to my story"

"Ah," she said, and her eyes istful, "but I should like to knohat you meant just now Won't you tell me? Or do you think I am too stupid to understand?"

"No But I think you are too young," he said; and the girl coloured

"Of course if you would rather not----"

Soe his mind

"There is no reason why I shouldyou because--well, for various reasons; but after all you etfulness by the aid of drugs--morphia, to be exact"

He had startled her now

"You took morphia----?" Her voice was disave er for me--I knew the peril of it so well I wasn't like the people who go in ignorantly for the thing; and find themselves bound hand and foot, their lives in ruins round thehed, and his face looked careworn "Well, I soon found out that I was just like other people after all I went into the thing, thinking I should find a way out of "