"One day Vyking came to my rooms in a furious state of passion. He and his master had quarrelled. I never knew about what; and Vyking had been ignominiously dismissed. The valet tore up and down my little parlor in a towering passion.
"'I'll make Sir Noel pay for it, or my name's not Vyking,' he cried. 'He thinks because he's married an heiress he can defy me now. But there's law in this land to punish bigamy; and I'll have him up for bigamy the moment he's back from his wedding-tour.'
"I turned, and looked at him, but very quietly. 'Sir Noel?' I said. 'Do you mean my husband?'
"'I mean Miss Vandeleur's husband now,' said Vyking. 'You'll never see him again, my girl. Yes, he's Sir Noel Thetford, of Thetford Towers, Devonshire; and you can go and call on his pretty new wife as soon as she comes home.'
"I turned away and looked out of the window without a word. Vyking looked at me curiously.
"'Oh! we've got over it, have we; and we're going to take it easy, and not make a scene. Now that's what I call sensible. And you'll come forward and swear Sir Noel guilty of bigamy?'
"'No,' I said, 'I never will!'
"'You won't—and why not?'
"'Never mind why. I don't think you would understand if I told you—only I won't.'
"'Couldn't you be coaxed?'