nd as Chloe gently closed the heavy door on the peaceful, fragrant
world without and returned to the little room where Cherry lay in an
uneasy slumber, she knew that a faint suspicion which had crossed her
mind earlier in the summer had been verified to-night.

"He too loved Iris," she said to herself, with a rather sad little
smile. "And I thought--once--that she was ready to love him in return.
But, I suppose she preferred Bruce. Only"--Chloe had no illusions on the
subject of her brother--"I believe Dr. Anstice would have made her a
happier woman than Bruce will ever be able to do. And if he"--she did
not refer to Cheniston now--"has lost his chance of happiness to-day, no
wonder he feels that he has been in hell. For there is no hell so
terrible as the one in which a soul who loves wanders alone, without its
beloved," said the woman whose husband had left her because of a cruel
doubt. "From the bottom of my heart I pity that man to-night!"

And then, re-entering Cherry's little room, pathetic now in its very
brightness of colouring, Chloe forgot all else in the world save the
child who slept, in the narrow bed, watched by Margaret Trevor's soft,
brooding eyes.

BOOK II

CHAPTER I

On a cold and frosty morning in November Anstice was sitting over his
solitary breakfast when the telephone-bell rang; and he left his coffee
to grow cold while he answered the summons.

It was Sir Richard who was speaking; and even over the wire Anstice
thought he detected an unusual note in the older man's voice.

"That you, Anstice? Are you busy, or can you spare me a few minutes this
morning?"

"I'll come to Greengates, of course, if you want me, Sir Richard," said
Anstice immediately. "But I hope you are not ill--nor Lady Laura?"

"No, my sister's all right--so am I." There was a pause. "But I--well,
I'm rather worried, and I want to see you."

"Very well, sir. I'll be round at eleven. Will that suit you?"

"Yes, eleven will do well. _Au revoir_ till then," and Sir Richard rang
off with a promptitude which forbade further discussion for the moment.

As he went back to his cooling coffee Anstice wondered vaguely what Sir
Richard could have to say; but since speculation was mere idle waste of
time he dismissed the matter from his mind and finished his breakfast in
haste.

It was nearly noon when he drove his car up to the great hall door of
Greengates; but the words of apology for his tardy arrival died on h