I have told you my provocation. You cannot believe that I am guilty
of her sin; not if you look at her as I am looking now."

But their glances hardly followed her pointing finger. Her friends--the
comrades of her youth, the Inseparables with their secret oath--one and
all held themselves aloof, struck by the perfidy they were only just
beginning to take in. Smitten with despair, for these girls were her
life, she gave one wild leap and sank on her knees before Alicia.

"O speak!" she began. "Forgive me, and--"

A tremble seized her throat; she ceased to speak and let fall her
partially uplifted hands. The cheery sound of men's voices had drifted
in from the terrace, and the figure of Captain Holliday could be seen
passing by. The shudder which shook Caroline West communicated itself to
Alicia Driscoll, and the former rising quickly, the two women surveyed
each other, possibly for the first time, with open soul and a complete
understanding.

"Caroline!" murmured the one.

"Alicia!" pleaded the other.

"Caroline, trust me," said Alicia Driscoll in that moving voice of hers,
which more than her beauty caught and retained all hearts. "You have
served me ill, but it was not all undeserved. Girls," she went on,
eyeing both them and her father with the wistfulness of a breaking
heart, "neither Caroline nor myself are worthy of Captain Holliday's
love. Caroline has told you her fault, but mine is perhaps a worse one.
The ring--the scarf--the diamond pins--I took them all--took them if
I did not retain them. A curse has been over my life--the curse of a
longing I could not combat. But love was working a change in me. Since
I have known Captain Holliday--but that's all over. I was mad to think
I could be happy with such memories in my life. I shall never marry
now--or touch jewels again--my own or another's. Father, father, you
won't go back on your girl! I couldn't see Caroline suffer for what I
have done. You will pardon me and help--help--"

Her voice choked. She flung herself into her father's arms; his head
bent over hers, and for an instant not a soul in the room moved.
Then Miss Hughson gave a spring and caught her by the hand. "We are
inseparable," said she, and kissed the hand, murmuring, "Now is our time
to show it."

Then other lips fell upon those cold and trembling fingers, which seemed
to warm under these embraces. And then a tear. It came from the hard eye
of Caroline, and remained a sacred secret betwee