id people really think that she was going to _marry_ Mr Judge?

Lately things had moved on apace, and as a result of the unwelcome
revelations of the morning's post, Claire was to-day asking herself a
different question. She was no longer occupied with other people; she
was thinking of herself... "Am I going to marry Mr Judge? Oh, good
gracious, is that _My Husband_ sitting over there, and have I got to
live with him every day, as long as we both shall live?"

She shuddered at the thought, but in truth there was nothing to shudder
at in Robert Judge's appearance. He was a man of forty, bronzed, and
wiry, with agreeable if not regular features. Round his eyes the skin
was deeply furrowed, but the eyes themselves were bright and youthful,
and the prevailing expression was one of sincerity and kindliness. He
wore a loose grey tweed suit, with a soft-coloured shirt which showed a
length of brown neck. The fingers of his right band were deeply stained
with tobacco. During _dejeuner_ he carried on a conversation with his
right-hand companion, in exceedingly bad French, but ever and anon he
glanced across the table as though his thoughts were not on his words.
Once, on looking up suddenly, Claire found his eyes fixed upon herself,
with a strained, anxious look, and her heart quickened as she looked,
then sank down heavy as lead.

"It's coming!" she said to herself. "It's coming! There's no running
away. I'll have to stay, and see it out. Oh, why can't I be French,
and sensible? I ought to be thankful to marry such a kind, good man,
and be able to give mother a comfortable home!"

But as a matter of fact she was neither glad nor thankful. Despite her
French training, the English instinct survived and clamoured for
liberty, for independence. "It's my own life. If I marry at all, I
want to choose the man for no other reason than that I love him; not as
a duty, and to please somebody else!" Then she glanced at her mother
sitting by her side, slim, and graceful, with the little air of pathos
and helplessness which even strangers found so appealing, and as she did
so, a shiver passed through Claire's veins.

"But I'll have to do it!" she said to herself helplessly. "I'll have to
do it!"

CHAPTER TWO.

TOO SUCCESSFUL!

The next few days passed by slowly enough. It is a great trial for a
young creature to realise that a change is inevitable and, at the same
time, that one must be cautious about making i