sympathy----"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. You must ask her."

"I will of course----"

He lay back on his sofa. For a little time there was silence between
them. She was filled now with wild regrets. She wished that she had said
nothing. His face was hard and old--She wished ... she scarcely knew
what she wished; she only knew that suddenly she was tired and would
like to go home.

A bell was rung and Christopher was sent for. She would like to have
kissed Roddy, but only wagged her bony finger at him--

"Now be a good patient boy and I'll soon come again."

IV

Meanwhile, five minutes before this, Rachel had come in. She was told of
the visits, and going swiftly to the little drawing-room upstairs had
found Christopher.

She flung her arms around him and kissed him.

"Oh, dear Dr. Chris!"

But he stopped her.

"Quick, Rachel. I may only have a minute.... I've got to speak to you."

Instantly she drew back, her grave eyes watching him and her hands, as
of old, nervously moving against her dress.

"What is it?"

"It's just this. The Duchess may ring at any moment--she's been with him
a long while. Look here, Rachel, she knows about Breton--that you've
been to see him, that you've written to him----"

"She told you?"

"Yes--long ago--But never mind that now, although I'd have spoken to you
of it before if you'd let me--But the only thing that matters is that I
believe--I can't of course be sure--but I believe that she's come now to
tell Roddy."

Rachel drew a long breath. "Oh!" she said and, stiffly standing there,
showed in her eyes the pitch of feeling to which now her grandmother had
brought her.

Christopher went on urgently--"I've been praying for you to come in. I
hoped you'd have come half an hour ago. There's no time now, but--it's
simply this, Rachel dear--tell Roddy everything----"

She broke in passionately. "You know it's all right, Dr. Chris--you've
trusted me?"

"Absolutely," he said gravely. "But it simply is that Roddy mustn't be
there imagining things, waiting, wondering.... Perhaps he won't ask
you--Perhaps he will--But, anyway, tell him--tell him at once
everything...."

The bell rang, he went across to her, kissed her, and then went
downstairs.

She stood there waiting, without moving except to strip off, very
slowly, her black gloves. Her eyes were fixed upon the door.

She heard the door downstairs open, the stumbling steps; once she caught
the Duchess's voice a