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The unworthy scheme, by means of which Lord Harry had proposed to

extricate himself from his pecuniary responsibilities, had led to

serious consequences It had produced a state of deliberate

estrangement between man and wife

Iris secluded herself in her own room Her husband passed the hours of

every day away froe; so his friends in Paris His wife suffered acutely

under the self-imposed state of separation, to which wounded pride and

keenly felt resentment compelled her to submit No friend was near her,

in whose coe Not even the

sympathy of her maid was offered to the lonely wife

With the welfare of Iris as her one end in view, Fanny Mere honestly

believed that it would be better and safer for Lady Harry if she and

her husband finally decided on living separate lives The longer uest, the more

perilously he was associated with athe ruin of anyone--ht happen to be an obstacle in his way So far as a

person in her situation could venture on taking the liberty, the maid

did her best to widen the breach between herthe atte irritation as the result, Vier