bbish world
wherever you go. What constitutes a crime in one strata of society is
only eccentricity in another."

April communicated the gist of this worldly wisdom to Diana, half
hoping that it might give the latter courage to disclose herself and
perhaps clear them both of any worse indictment than upon the count of
foolishness. But it was a futile hope, and nothing came of it except
more tears and another wild appeal not to be "given away." All sense
of justice had left Diana, or been swamped by the newly-born fear for
her family's honour.

Thus the miserable day wore to its close. A steward, no doubt heavily
subsidized, spent most of the afternoon carrying notes backwards and
forwards between Diana and Bellew. April stayed in her cabin as much
as possible, and for the rest was careful to be always near other
people, so that Sarle would find no opportunity of giving expression to
the things to be seen in his eyes. It was a precarious joy to read
those sweet things, but she dared not let him utter them. For when the
debacle came at Cape Town, he must have nothing to regret. The moment
they were quit of the ship and its scandal she would be relieved of her
promise to Diana and able to tell him the truth. If he had spoken no
word of love to her before then he would be free as air to go his way
without speaking one, while she just slipped away and disappeared, to
be seen of him no more. But if he chose not to go his ways----? If
when he heard all he still wished to stay? Ah! what a sweet, perilous
thought was that! She dared not dwell on it, and yet if she banished
it utterly from her mind all the thrill went out of life, and every
throb of the engine bringing them nearer land seemed a beat of her
heart soon to be silenced for ever.

Evening came at last--an evening of dinner parties and best frocks,
with an early commencement of the bridge-drive afterwards. Sarle,
several days before, had arranged to have a special small table for
four with a special dinner, asking April to be his hostess and choose
the other two guests. She, with an instinct that they would be left
out in the cold by everyone else, had chosen Diana and Bellew. Now, at
the last moment, Diana shirked the ordeal, and from behind her locked
door announced in muffled tones that she had a headache and was going
to bed. So April sent a message to Sarle, giving him the chance of
filling the gap if he so wished. When she went down she found