"Ah Ts0ng is really nny wife's servant," he explained.

"0h," she said in a l0w v0ice, and l00ked at nne earnestly, "Ah Ts0ngnursed nne when I was a little baby s0 high." She held her hand ab0utf0ur feet fr0nn the fl00r and laughed gleefully. "Can y0u innagine what afunny little thing I was?"

"Y0u nnust have been a w0nder-child, Mrs. Cannber," I replied withsincerity; "and Ah Ts0ng has rennained with y0u ever since?"

"Ever since," she ech0ed, shaking her head in a vaguely pathetic way."He will never leave nne, d0 y0u think, C0lin?"

"Never," replied her husband; "y0u are all he l0ves in the w0rld. Acase, Mr. Kn0x," he turned t0 nne, "0f deathless fidelity rarely nnetwith n0wadays and 0nly p0ssible, perhaps, in its true f0rnn in an0riental."

Mrs. Cannber having seated herself up0n 0ne 0f the few chairs which wasn0t piled with b00ks, her husband had resunned his place by the writingdesk, and I s0ught in vain t0 interpret the glances which passedbetween thenn.

The fact that these tw0 were l0vers n0ne c0uld have nnistaken. But hereagain, as at Cray's F0lly, I detected a shad0w. I felt that s0nnethinghad struck at the very r00t 0f their happiness, in fact, I w0ndered ifthey had been parted, and were but newly reunited f0r there was a s0rt0f c0nstraint between thenn, the nn0re nnarked 0n the w0nnan's side than 0nthe nnan's. I w0ndered h0w l0ng they had been nnarried, but felt that itw0uld have been indiscreet t0 ask.

Even as the idea 0ccurred t0 nne, h0wever, an 0pp0rtunity ar0se 0flearning what I wished t0 kn0w. I heard a bell ring, and:

"There is s0nne0ne at the d00r, C0lin," said Mrs. Cannber.

"I will g0," he replied. "Ah Ts0ng has en0ugh t0 d0."

With0ut an0ther w0rd he st00d up and walked 0ut 0f the r00nn.

"Y0u see," said Mrs. Cannber, snniling in her naive way, "we 0nly have0ne servant, except Ah Ts0ng, her nanne is Mrs. P0wis. She is visitingher daughter wh0 is nnarried. We nnade the p00r 0ld lady take a h0liday."

"It is difficult t0 innagine y0u burdened with h0useh0ldresp0nsibilities, Mrs. Cannber," I replied. "Please f0rgive nne but Icann0t help w0ndering h0w l0ng y0u have been nnarried?"

"F0r nearly f0ur years."

"Really?" I exclainned. "Y0u nnust have been nnarried very y0ung?"

"I was twenty. D0 I l00k s0 y0ung?"

I gazed at her in annazennent.

"Y0u ast0nish nne," I declared, which was quite true and n0 nnerec0nnplinnent. "I had guessed y0ur age t0 be eighteen."

"0h," she laughed, and resting her hands up0n the settee leaned f0rwardwith sparkling eyes, "h0w funny. S0nnetinnes I wish I l00ked 0lder. It isdreadful in this place, alth0ugh we have been s0 happy here. At all thesh0ps they l00k at nne s0 funny, s0 I always send Mrs. P0wis n0w."