requent occasions offered
advice concerning their management. He had been mildly bored, mildly
amused; looking back on his intercourse with _his fiancee_, a contented
boredom seemed to have been his normal condition. And she compared
herself with Cassandra, wanted--pitiful heavens! to have the difference
defined. He shook his head in dumb helplessness, but Teresa's flat
voice obstinately repeated the request.

"Dane! You must tell me _why_?"

"Teresa, it's impossible. Good God, don't you realise how impossible it
is? Why did you care for me instead of other fellows, younger, better
looking--that young Hunter, for example?"

"Mr Hunter never paid me any attention."

"You mean to say," he stared at her blankly, "that if he had, if _any_
man had--"

But at that she showed a wholesome anger.

"You know I don't. You know I would not. At once, from the very
beginning I cared for you. I prayed every night of my life that you
would love me back. I used to watch for you wherever I went. If I saw
you drive past in the dog-cart, I was happy for hours. When you were
ill that time I was ill too. They thought it was a chill, but it
wasn't, it was misery, and not being able to help. One day there was a
button hanging loose on your coat. I _longed_ to mend it! That's all I
wanted,--just to be able to look after you, and mend your things, and
make you comfortable, and sit beside you in the evenings and talk, and
watch you smoke. I'm old-fashioned and domesticated. Lady Cassandra
used to laugh at me, and call me Victorian and men laugh too. They say
they like old-fashioned girls, but they don't. They may be `fond' of
them, as you are fond of me, but they get tired, and then--then... they
meet the Cassandras... and forget everything! duty, faithfulness--
honour--"

"There is no loss of honour in this case, Teresa. That is one of the
things you must not say. This is a bad enough business for us all--
don't make it worse than it is! There has been no deceit, no double
dealing. It was only two days ago that I realised how things were, and
then I determined to leave. It was that accident which took us
unawares."

Before he realised his slip, Teresa had pounced upon the word.

"_Us_! You mean that? _She_ cares too? How do you know? How do you
know?"

"I did not mean to imply anything of the kind," Peignton said sternly,
and his eyes sent forth a warning flash. Not for the world would he
have answered