o, do not trouble to deny
it. I should not have dared to say such a thing without being sure of
my ground. Your face told me on Tuesday."

He was silent, feeling himself unaccountably in the grip of something
he could no longer thwart.

"Now listen to me. When Meryl went to Rhodesia you _did_ love her. I
think she was all the world to you. So she was when she came back, _at
first_. You were in haste to win her, and she consented to be engaged
to you. Afterwards...." She paused.

"Well, afterwards?..." in a strained, unnatural voice.

"Afterwards you found in some vague way she was changed. You had won
her, but you did not possess her. Something had happened. You seemed
to have seized the substance and found it shadow. I seem to be talking
like a book, but we will let that pass! Instead of trying to find out
whether this really was the case, you attempted to hurry forward the
wedding. That, I think, was weak of you."

"And something had happened?..." he asked, hoarsely. "What?..."

Diana spread out her hands with a little French gesture. "It is
sometimes just as poignant to say, '_Cherchez l'homme_' as, '_Cherchez
la femme_.'"

"You mean?..."

"That what had happened was another man."

"Ah!..." in quick surprise; and after a short, tense silence, "Then
why in the world?..." But again she stayed him with a little arresting
hand.

"You wonder why she engaged herself to you?... When you have the clue
it is quite simple. The other man loves her, but he has not told her
so. I do not know that he ever will. He is a proud, obstinate
Englishman, and has no position and no money. Apparently he is ready
to let Meryl wreck her life, rather than bless his with herself and
her fortune. Some men are like that. It is a mixture of pride and
heroics very difficult for a well-meaning cousin like myself to cope
with. I think it may even turn my hair grey yet." Again she spread out
her hands. "Can you not see the rest?... You yourself led up to it.
You urged your united service to South Africa (though why poor South
Africa should be dragged in, I don't know), and she, having as she
thought lost all hope of simple, personal happiness, decided to give
herself to you and to her country. Now do you understand?"

He was silent for a considerable time, thinking deeply; and then, with
one of his quick versatile changes, he turned and pounced upon her
with the question, "Granting all is as you say, what I want to know
is, how have yo