that might have been embarrassing in the encounter seemed dissolved
by the utterly conventional tone of her greeting. Sir Leslie Borrowdean
came up and joined them, and Lord and Lady Redford. Then the little
party, escorted by the landlord, disappeared into the hotel. Mannering
resumed his seat and continued his dinner. He leaned over and addressed
his wife. His tone was kinder than usual.

"When we have had our coffee," he said, "I hope that you will feel like
a walk. The moon is coming up over the sea."

She shook her head.

"Take Hester," she said. "She loves that sort of thing. I have a
headache, and I should like to go upstairs as soon as possible."

So Hester walked with Mannering out to the rocks where pools of water,
left by the tide, shone like silver in the moonlight. They talked very
little at first, but as they leaned over the rail and looked out seawards
Hester broke the silence, and spoke of the things which they both had in
their minds.

"I am sorry they came," she said. "I am afraid it will upset mother, and
it is not pleasant for you, is it?"

"For me it is nothing, Hester," he answered, "and I hope that your mother
will not worry about it. They all behaved very nicely, and we need not
see much of them."

She passed her arm through his.

"Tell me how you feel about it," she begged. "It must seem to you like a
glimpse of the life you left when--when you--married!"

"Hester," he said, earnestly, "don't make any mistake about this. Don't
let your mother make any mistake. It was my political change of views
which separated me from all my former friends--that entirely. To them I
am an apostate, and a very bad sort of one. I deserted them just when
they needed me. I did it from convictions which are stronger to-day than
ever. But none the less I threw them over. I always said that they very
much exaggerated my importance as a factor in the situation, and my words
are proved. They carried the elections without any difficulty, and they
have formed a strong Government. They can afford to be magnanimous to me.
If I had stayed with them I should have been in office. As it was, I lost
even my seat."

"You did what you thought was right," she said, softly. "No one can do
any more!"

Mannering thought over her words as they walked homewards over the
sand-dunes. Yes, he had done that! Was he satisfied with the result? He
had become a minor power in politics. Men spoke of him as a weakling--as
one who had