was just saying that he proposed to keep the ship away from home for at
least two years: "I think, sir, that from every point of view it would
be best," when Flora came back and the conversation, cut short in that
direction, languished and died. Later in the evening, after Anthony had
been gone for hours, on the point of separating for the night, Mr Smith
remarked suddenly to his daughter after a long period of brooding:

"A will is nothing. One tears it up. One makes another." Then after
reflecting for a minute he added unemotionally:

"One tells lies about it."

Flora, patient, steeled against every hurt and every disgust to the
point of wondering at herself, said: "You push your dislike of--of--
Roderick too far, papa. You have no regard for me. You hurt me."

He, as ever inexpressive to the point of terrifying her sometimes by the
contrast of his placidity and his words, turned away from her a pair of
faded eyes.

"I wonder how far _your_ dislike goes," he began. "His very name sticks
in your throat. I've noticed it. It hurts me. What do you think of
that? You might remember that you are not the only person that's hurt
by your folly, by your hastiness, by your recklessness." He brought
back his eyes to her face. "And the very day before they were going to
let me out." His feeble voice failed him altogether, the narrow
compressed lips only trembling for a time before he added with that
extraordinary equanimity of tone, "I call it sinful."

Flora made no answer. She judged it simpler, kinder and certainly safer
to let him talk himself out. This, Mr Smith, being naturally taciturn,
never took very long to do. And we must not imagine that this sort of
thing went on all the time. She had a few good days in that cottage.
The absence of Anthony was a relief and his visits were pleasurable.
She was quieter. He was quieter too. She was almost sorry when the
time to join the ship arrived. It was a moment of anguish, of
excitement; they arrived at the dock in the evening and Flora after
"making her father comfortable" according to established usage lingered
in the state-room long enough to notice that he was surprised. She
caught his pale eyes observing her quite stonily. Then she went out
after a cheery good-night.

Contrary to her hopes she found Anthony yet in the saloon. Sitting in
his armchair at the head of the table he was picking up some business
papers which he put hastily in his breast-