est," said Vera, and then her heavy eyes
brightened and went beyond her as her husband's tall figure came softly
in from the conservatory.

He came to her side, stooped over her, and took her hand. Her fingers
closed weakly about his.

"Send her to bed!" she whispered. "She is tired. You come instead!"

He bent and kissed her forehead with a tenderness that made her cling
more closely. "Shall I do instead?" he asked her gently.

She offered him her lips though she was panting a little. "Yes, I want
you. Make Juliet--go to bed!"

He turned to Juliet, his wife's hand still in his. All the hard lines
were smoothed out of his face. There was something even pathetic about
his smile.

"Will you go to bed, Juliet," he said in that new gentle voice of his,
"and leave me in charge?"

She got up. "I will lie down in the conservatory," she said.

"No--no!" He put his free hand on her arm with a touch of his customary
imperiousness. "That won't do. You're to go to bed properly--and sleep
till you can't sleep any longer. Yes, that's an order, see?" He smiled
again at her, his sudden transforming smile. "Be a good child and do as
I tell you! Cox is within call. We'll certainly fetch you if we find we
can't do without you."

Juliet's eyes went to Vera.

"Yes, she wants to get rid of you too," said the squire. "We're pining to
be alone. No, we won't talk. We won't do anything we ought not, eh, Vera,
my dear? Nurse will be getting up in another hour so we shan't have it to
ourselves for long."

He had his way. He could be quite irresistible when he chose. Juliet
found herself yielding without misgiving, though till then he had only
been allowed at Vera's bedside for a few minutes at a time. Vera was
certainly very much better that day, and she read in her eyes the desire
to meet her husband's wishes. She paused to give him one or two
directions regarding medicine, and then went quietly to the door of the
conservatory.

Columbus sprang to greet her with a joy that convulsed him from head to
tail, and she gathered him up in her arms and took him with her, passing
back through the library in time to see the squire lay his face down upon
the slender hand he held and kiss it.

In the great hall outside she found Saltash loitering. He came at once to
meet her, and had taken Columbus from her before she realized his
intention.

"He is too heavy for you, _ma cherie_," he said, with his quizzing smile.
"Lend him to me for this