With all those jewels locked away in

"And now, look here, my dear; couldn't I give you some sort of aring?""A ring?" She flushed at the suggestion. "What's the use,Streff, dear? With all those jewels locked away in London--""Oh, I daresay you'll think them old-fashioned. And, hang it,why shouldn't I give you something new, I ran across Ellie andBockheimer yesterday, in the rue de la Paix, picking outsapphires. Do you like sapphires, or emeralds? Or just adiamond? I've seen a thumping one .... I'd like you to haveit."Ellie and Bockheimer! How she hated the conjunction of thenames! Their case always seemed to her like a caricature of herown, and she felt an unreasoning resentment against Ellie forhaving selected the same season for her unmating and re-mating. 　　"I wish you wouldn't speak of them, Streff ... as if they werelike us! I can hardly bear to sit in the same room with EllieVanderlyn.""Hullo? What's wrong? You mean because of her giving upClarissa?""Not that only .... You don't know .... I can't tell you ...."She shivered at the memory, and rose restlessly from the benchwhere they had been sitting. 　　Strefford gave his careless shrug. "Well, my dear, you canhardly expect me to agree, for after all it was to Ellie I owedthe luck of being so long alone with you in Venice. If she andAlgie hadn't prolonged their honeymoon at the villa--"He stopped abruptly, and looked at Susy. She was conscious thatevery drop of blood had left her face. She felt it ebbing awayfrom her heart, flowing out of her as if from all her severedarteries, till it seemed as though nothing were left of life inher but one point of irreducible pain. 　　"Ellie--at your villa? What do you mean? Was it Ellie andBockheimer who--?"Strefford still stared. "You mean to say you didn't know?""Who came after Nick and me...?" she insisted. 　　"Why, do you suppose I'd have turned you out otherwise? Thatbeastly Bockheimer simply smothered me with gold. Ah, well,there's one good thing: I shall never have to let the villaagain! I rather like the little place myself, and I daresayonce in a while we might go there for a day or two .... Susy,what's the matter?" he exclaimed.