rite to Mr. Pym and ask his advice."

Then he went back to the hours of desperate mental stress, that were
steadily increasing the grey about his temples. To Ailsa he might have
seemed cold and self-contained as ever, but if she could have known
it, all his being was torn with conflict. With the hourly growing ache
and longing to throw everything to the winds and to try to carry Meryl
off while there was yet time there was the fear lest a wrong step on
his part should shatter for her some newly found content.

XXVIII

DIANA'S PERPLEXITIES INCREASE

The two days after Diana came home early from her dinner-party were
chiefly noticeable for the fact that for the first time since the
engagement van Hert remained away from Hill Court. No one knew why,
and the excuse he sent was of the vaguest. Diana asked her own heart
and was troubled. When he came on the third day, he walked into the
drawing-room to look for Meryl, and found Diana reading in the window
alone. They discovered each other suddenly, and it was almost as if he
gave a guilty start; and he looked unusually pale, with haggard eyes,
as if he had slept badly of late. Diana saw it all, but gave no sign.

"You are something of a stranger, Meinheer van Hert," she said
lightly. "My sword had almost time to rust."

"It would never do that. The best of swords is none the worse for an
occasional rest; unless"--with a somewhat tired gleam of humour--"you
have been keeping it bright at the expense of poor Aunt Emily."

"No, it has had a real rest. I am saving it again for the best
swordsman worthy of it."

His eyes came suddenly to her face, and she realised at once that
until that moment he had scarcely looked at her; and in that second's
flash she saw something in them that hurt: a swift, deep trouble that
he was struggling to hide. He looked away again quickly, noting the
lovely shades of the room, the masses of violets, the general airiness
and elegance.

"Is Meryl at home?"

"Yes. I will go and tell her you are here."

Diana went upstairs very slowly, lost in thought. And when she had
told Meryl, she stood a long time at the window, thinking still.
Presently Meryl came back. "William came to ask me to definitely fix
the date of the wedding. We decided on the fifth; that will give us
just a week before he must go to Cape Town." Then, as if she did not
expect Diana to make any comment, she added, "The invitations must go
out to-night."

That evenin