that intimacy had it
been possible.

But here his loyalty cried out that he was wronging her. Juliet--his
Juliet of the steadfast eyes and low, sincere voice--was surely
incapable of double dealing! Whatever her life in the past had been,
however frivolous, however artificial, it had been given to him--perhaps
to him alone--to know her as she was. A great wave of self-reproach went
over him. How had he dared to doubt her?

The sea moaned with a dreary sound along the shore. A few heavy drops of
rain fell around him. Mechanically he quickened his pace. He came at
length down the steep cliff-path to the gate that led to the village.
And here to his surprise a shuffling footstep told him of the presence of
another human being out in the desolate darkness. Dimly he discerned a
bulky shape leaning against the rail.

He came up to it. "Robin!" he said sharply.

A low voice answered him in startled accents. "Oh, Dicky! I thought you
were never coming!"

"What are you doing here?" Dick said.

He took the boy by the shoulder with the words and Robin cowered away.

"Don't be cross! Dicky, please don't be cross! I only came to look for
you," he said with nervous incoherence. "I didn't mean to be out late. I
couldn't help it. Don't be cross!"

But Dick was implacable. "You know you've no business out at this hour,"
he said. "I warned you last time--when you went to The Three Tuns--" He
paused abruptly. "Have you been to The Three Tuns to-night?"

"No!" said Robin eagerly.

Dick's hand pressed upon him. "Is that the truth?"

Robin became incoherent again. "I only came to meet you. I didn't think
you'd be so late. And it was so hot to-night. And my head ached." He
broke off. "Dicky, you're hurting me!"

"You have told me a lie," Dick said.

Robin shrank at his tone. "How did you know?" he whispered awestruck.

Dick did not answer. He shifted his hold from Robin's shoulder to his arm
and turned him about. Robin went with him, shuffling his feet and
trembling.

Dick led him in grim silence down the path to the village-road, past
the Ricketts' cottage, now in darkness, up the hill beyond that led to
the school.

Robin went with him submissively enough, but he stumbled several times
on the way. As they neared the end of the journey he began to talk again
anxiously, propitiatingly.

"I didn't mean to go, Dicky, but I was so hot and thirsty. And I met Jack
and I went in with him. There were a lot of fellows there and