surely, Mr.
Vigil, it must always be, so as to check, to check----"

Gregory stopped, and his shining eyes disconcerted her; they seemed to
her unpractical. Sharply lifting her voice, she went on:

"If there were no disgrace, there would be no way of stopping it. I know
the country better than you do, Mr. Vigil."

Gregory put his hands to his ears.

"We must find a place for her at once."

The window was fully open, so that he could not open it any more, and he
stood there as though looking for that place in the sky. And the sky he
looked at was very blue, and large white birds of cloud were flying over
it.

He turned from the window, and opened another letter.

"LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS,
"May 24, 1892.
"MY DEAR VIGIL,

"I gathered from your ward when I saw her yesterday that she has not told
you of what, I fear, will give you much pain. I asked her point-blank
whether she wished the matter kept from you, and her answer was, 'He had
better know--only I'm sorry for him.' In sum it is this: Bellow has
either got wind of our watching him, or someone must have put him up to
it; he has anticipated us and brought a suit against your ward, joining
George Pendyce in the cause. George brought the citation to me. If
necessary he's prepared to swear there's nothing in it. He takes, in
fact, the usual standpoint of the 'man of honour.'

"I went at once to see your ward. She admitted that the charge is true.
I asked her if she wished the suit defended, and a counter-suit brought
against her husband. Her answer to that was: 'I absolutely don't care.'
I got nothing from her but this, and, though it sounds odd, I believe it
to be true. She appears to be in a reckless mood, and to have no
particular ill-will against her husband.

"I want to see you, but only after you have turned this matter over
carefully. It is my duty to put some considerations before you. The
suit, if brought, will be a very unpleasant matter for George, a still
more unpleasant, even disastrous one, for his people. The innocent in
such cases are almost always the greatest sufferers. If the cross-suit
is instituted, it will assume at once, considering their position in
Society, the proportions of a 'cause celebre', and probably occupy the
court and the daily presses anything from three days to a week, perhaps
more, and you know what that means. On the other hand, not to defend th