ladys let go of her hand; there was a pucker of anxiety between her
eyes. What had Kettering said to Christine? she asked herself in
sudden panic. Surely he had not broken his word to her. She dismissed
the thought with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Don't be a baby, Chris," she said a trifle impatiently. "It's up to
you this time, anyway. What's the use of being young and as pretty as
you are if you can't win the man you want?"

Christine dried her eyes, her cheeks were flushed.

"But I don't want him," she said with sudden passion. "I don't want
him any more than he wants me."

Gladys stared at her in speechless dismay, she felt as if a cold hand
had been laid on her heart. She was unutterably thankful when the
dinner gong broke the silence; she turned again to the door.

"Well, _I_ want my dinner, that's all I know," she said.

She went downstairs without waiting for Christine.

Jimmy met her in the hall; he looked at her with a sort of suspicion,
she thought, and she knew she was colouring.

"Look here, Jimmy," she said with sudden brusqueness, "if she comes
back here again without you it will be the last time you need ask me
for help. You've got your chance. If you can't make her want to stay
with you for the rest of your natural life I wash my hands of the whole
affair."

"I'll do my best. I----" he floundered.

Gladys caught his arm in friendly fashion.

"I've no right to tell you, I suppose," she said, lowering her voice,
"but it won't be easy. I never thought she'd change so, but
now--well----" She shrugged her shoulders.

A little flame flashed into Jimmy's eyes.

"You mean that she doesn't care a hang for me now, is that it?" he
asked roughly.

Gladys did not answer, she turned her face away.

Jimmy put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"Gladys, you don't mean--not--not Kettering?"

There was a thrill of agony in his voice.

"I don't know--I can't be sure," Gladys answered him agitatedly. "I
don't know anything. It's only--only what I'm afraid of." She moved
hurriedly away from him as they heard Christine's footsteps on the
landing upstairs.

"I suppose it was wrong of me to have said that," she told herself in a
panic as she went in to dinner. "But after all, it serves him right!
Perhaps he'll understand now something of what she suffered, poor
darling."

Out in the hall Jimmy was standing at the foot of the stairs looking up
at Christine.

"I--