tful and inspiring in itself, but because"--suddenly he felt an
inexplicably savage desire to hurt her, as a man in pain may seek to
wound his tenderest nurse--"because not many miles away from here
there's a poor mother weeping, like Rachel, for her child, and refusing
to be comforted."

She turned pale, and he felt like a murderer as he watched the light die
out of her big grey eyes.

"A child--the child you went to see--it died?"

"Yes. She was just a year old--and their only child."

Now, to his remorse, he saw that she was crying; and instantly the cruel
impulse died out of his heart and a wild desire to comfort her took its
place.

"Miss Wayne, for God's sake don't cry! I had no right to tell you--it
was brutal, unpardonable of me to cloud your happiness at such a moment
as this. I ... I've no excuse to offer--none, at least, that you could
understand--but it makes me feel the meanest criminal alive to see you
cry!"

No woman could have withstood the genuine remorse in his tone; and Iris
dabbed her eyes with a little lacy handkerchief and smiled forgiveness
rather tremulously.

"Don't reproach yourself, Dr. Anstice. I ... I think I'm rather foolish
to-night. And at any rate"--perhaps after all she had divined the
soreness which lay beneath his spoken congratulations--"I'm sure of one
thing--you did your best to comfort the poor mother."

"Thank you for that, at least," he said; and then, in a different key:
"You won't think me rude if I leave after this?"

"Of course not." Suddenly Iris rose, and Anstice, surprised, followed
her example. "Dr. Anstice, if you don't mind I'll ask you to take me
back now. I think"--she smiled rather shyly--"I think I must just go and
bathe my eyes. I don't want any one to ask inconvenient questions!"

Filled with anger against himself Anstice acquiesced at once; and in the
hall they parted, Iris speeding upstairs to her room in search of water
and Eau de Cologne with which to repair the ravages his heartless speech
had caused.

At the last came a consolatory moment.

"Dr. Anstice." She held out her hand once more. "You are the only
person--except my father--who knows what has happened to-night. Somehow
I wanted to tell you because"--she coloured faintly, and her eyes
dropped for a second--"because I think you and I are--really--friends in
spite of everything."

"Thank you, Miss Wayne." His tone was so low she could barely catch the
words. "Believe me, I value your fr