gh
her injuries did not seem likely to be fatal at the time, she had never
recovered the shock.

"'She was so pretty,' my friend said, 'and one of the saddest parts of
it was that I hear she was terrifically disfigured, and she took this
most sadly to heart. The right side of her face was utterly ruined, and
the sight of the right eye lost, though, strange to say, the left side
entirely escaped, and seeing her in profile one would have had no notion
of what had happened. Was it not sad? She was such a sweet, bright
creature.'

"I did not tell him _my_ story, for I did not want it chattered about,
but a strange sort of shiver ran through me at his words. _It was the
left side of her face only_ that the wraith of my poor friend had
allowed me to see."

"Oh, Uncle Paul!" exclaimed Nina.

"And--as to the dates?" inquired Mr. Snowdon.

"I never knew the exact date of the accident," said Mr. Marischal, "but
that of her death was fully six months after I had seen her. And in my
own mind, I have never made any doubt that it was at or about, probably
a short time after, the accident, that she came to me. It seemed a kind
of appeal for sympathy--and--a farewell also, poor child."

They all sat silent for some little time, and then Mr. Marischal got up
and went off to his own quarters, saying something vaguely about seeing
if his letters had gone.

"What a touching story!" said Gladys Lloyd. "I am afraid, after all, it
has been more painful than he realised for Mr. Marischal to tell it. Did
you know anything of Maud's husband, dear Lady Denholme? Was he kind to
her? Was she happy?"

"We never heard much about her married life," her hostess replied. "But
I have no reason to think she was unhappy. Her husband married again
two or three years after her death, but that says nothing."

"N--no," said Nina. "All the same, mamma, I am sure she really did love
Uncle Paul very much,--much more than he had any idea of. Poor Maud!"

"And he has never married," added Gladys.

"No," said Lady Denholme, "but there have been many practical
difficulties in the way of his doing so. He has had a most absorbingly
busy life, and now that he is more at leisure he feels himself too old
to form new ties."

"But," persisted Nina, "if he had had any idea at the time that Maud
cared for him so?"

"Ah well," Lady Denholme allowed, "in that case, in spite of the
practical difficulties, things would probably have been different."

And again