It is
full of interesting people. The society has a piquancy which you will
find, I hope, quite charming. You will be known by another name, of
course?"
"I shall not tell you by what name--"
"Tut--tut! I shall soon find out. The background gets narrower when you
fall into misery."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Lady Harry, that your husband has no idea whatever as to the
value of money. The two thousand that you are taking him will vanish in
a year or two. What will you do then? As for myself, I know the value
of money so well that I am always buying the most precious and
delightful things with it. I enjoy them immensely. Never any man
enjoyed good things so much as I do. But the delightful things cost
money. Let us be under no illusions. Your ladyship and your noble
husband and I all belong to the background; and in a year or two we
shall belong to the needy background. I daresay that very soon after
that the world will learn that we all belong to the criminal
background. I wish your ladyship a joyful reunion with your husband!"
He withdrew, and Iris set eyes on him no more. But the prophecy with
which he departed remained with her, and it was with a heart foreboding
fresh sorrrows that she left Paris and started for Louvain.
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