n nothing since the _petit dejeuner_ of the morning, and she was
faint with hunger. But she had not the heart to make herself tea. At last
he came. He entered joyfully and looked around.

'Is Margaret not here yet?' he asked, with surprise.

'Won't you sit down?'

He did not notice that her voice was strange, nor that she kept her eyes
averted.

'How lazy you are,' he cried. 'You haven't got the tea.'

'Mr Burdon, I have something to say to you. It will cause you very great
pain.'

He observed now the hoarseness of her tone. He sprang to his feet, and
a thousand fancies flashed across his brain. Something horrible had
happened to Margaret. She was ill. His terror was so great that he could
not speak. He put out his hands as does a blind man. Susie had to make an
effort to go on. But she could not. Her voice was choked, and she began
to cry. Arthur trembled as though he were seized with ague. She gave him
the letter.

'What does it mean?'

He looked at her vacantly. Then she told him all that she had done that
day and the places to which she had been.

'When you thought she was spending every afternoon with Mrs Bloomfield,
she was with that man. She made all the arrangements with the utmost
care. It was quite premeditated.'

Arthur sat down and leaned his head on his hand. He turned his back
to her, so that she should not see his face. They remained in perfect
silence. And it was so terrible that Susie began to cry quietly. She knew
that the man she loved was suffering an agony greater than the agony of
death, and she could not help him. Rage flared up in her heart, and
hatred for Margaret.

'Oh, it's infamous!' she cried suddenly. 'She's lied to you, she's been
odiously deceitful. She must be vile and heartless. She must be rotten to
the very soul.'

He turned round sharply, and his voice was hard.

'I forbid you to say anything against her.'

Susie gave a little gasp. He had never spoken to her before in anger. She
flashed out bitterly.

'Can you love her still, when she's shown herself capable of such vile
treachery? For nearly a month this man must have been making love to her,
and she's listened to all we said of him. She's pretended to hate the
sight of him, I've seen her cut him in the street. She's gone on with all
the preparations for your marriage. She must have lived in a world of
lies, and you never suspected anything because you had an unalterable
belief in her love and truthfulness. She