sense
of the discretion that one must use in speaking to a wife of her
husband.

The two homeless girls got into another cab, and were driven down to
Kensington Gore. Sheila asked if she could see Mrs. Lavender. She knew
that the old lady had had another bad fit, but she was supposed to be
recovering rapidly. Mrs. Lavender would see her in her bedroom, and so
Sheila went up. The girl could not speak.

"Yes, I see it--something wrong about that precious husband of yours,"
said the old lady, watching her keenly. "I expected it. Go on. What is
the matter?"

"I have left him," Sheila said with her face very pale, but no sign of
emotion about the firm lips.

"Oh, good gracious, child! Left him? How many people know it?"

"No one but yourself and a young Highland girl who has come up to see
me."

"You came to me first of all?"

"Yes."

"Have you no other friends to go to?"

"I considered that I ought to come to you."

There was no cunning in the speech: it was the simple truth. Mrs.
Lavender looked at her hard for a second or two, and then said, in what
she meant to be a kind way, "Come here and sit down, child, and tell me
all about it. If no one else knows it there is no harm done. We can
easily patch it up before it gets abroad."

"I did not come to you for that, Mrs. Lavender," said Sheila calmly.
"That is impossible: that is all over. I have come to ask you where I
may get lodgings for my friend and myself."

"Tell me all about it first, and then we'll see whether it can't be
mended. Mind, I am ready to be on your side, though I am your husband's
aunt. I think you're a good girl: a bit of a temper, you know, but you
manage to keep it quiet ordinarily. You tell me all about it, and you'll
see if I haven't means to bring him to reason. Oh yes, oh yes, I'm an
old woman, but I can find some means to bring him to reason." And she
laughed an odd, shrill laugh.

A hot flush came over Sheila's face. Had she come to this old woman only
to make her husband's degradation more complete? Was he to be
intimidated into making friends with her by a threat of the withdrawal
of that money that Sheila had begun to detest? And this was what her
notions of wifely duty had led to!

"Mrs. Lavender," she said, with the proud lips very proud indeed, "I
must say this to you before I tell you anything. It is very good of you
to say you will take my side, but I did not come to you to complain. And
I would rather not have any sym