ir faces were near enough to let
her voice reach him.

"Why are you in evening-dress?"

"I had intended to dine with a friend. There was not time to change."

"Then you did not mean to cross to-night?"

He delayed a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.

"Not when I dressed for dinner, but some sudden news decided me."

Her head fell back wearily against the support behind it. The eyes
closed, and he, thinking she would perhaps sleep, was about to rise from
his seat, when the pressure of her hand upon his arm detained him. He
sat still and the hand was withdrawn.

There was a lessening of the roar in their ears. Under the lee of the
English shore the wind was milder, the "terror-music" of the sea less
triumphant. And over everything was stealing the first discriminating
touch of the coming light. Her face was clear now; and Delafield, at
last venturing to look at her, saw that her eyes were open again, and
trembled at their expression. There was in them a wild suspicion.
Secretly, steadily, he nerved himself to meet the blow that he foresaw.

"Mr. Delafield, have you told me all the truth?"

She sat up as she spoke, deadly pale but rigid. With an impatient hand
she threw off the wraps which had covered her. Her face commanded
an answer.

"Certainly I have told you the truth."

"Was it the whole truth? It seems--it seems to me that you were not
prepared yourself for this journey--that there is some mystery--which I
do not understand--which I resent!"

"But what mystery? When I saw you, I of course thought of Evelyn's
telegram."

"I should like to see that telegram."

He hesitated. If he had been more skilled in the little falsehoods of
every day he would simply have said that he had left it at the hotel.
But he lost his chance. Nor at the moment did he clearly perceive what
harm it would do to show it to her. The telegram was in his pocket, and
he handed it to her.

There was a dim oil-lamp in the shelter. With difficulty she held the
fluttering paper up and just divined the words. Then the wind carried it
away and blew it overboard. He rose and leaned against the edge of the
shelter, looking down upon her. There was in his mind a sense of
something solemn approaching, round which this sudden lull of blast and
wave seemed to draw a "wind-warm space," closing them in.

"Why did you come with me?" she persisted, in an agitation she could now
scarcely control. "It is evident you had not meant to travel