d. But it was because she
felt that her curiosity might betray her that she desperately slammed
the door of opportunity in his face by adding: "I suppose you know you
are safe here to worry me as much as you like. You won't come across
Uncle Creddle on the sands."

"Your uncle----" He was rather thick-skinned and flushed seldom, but
he did so now, growing crimson to the edge of the cap pulled down over
his forehead. "Oh! I see. So you actually believed I was afraid.
Turn round!" He took her arm and made her face him. "Now! Do I look
as if I should be afraid to fight old Creddle?" She obstinately
refused to answer, and he went on, still holding her: "You know I
should not. I was thinking of you, and you only. Do you realize what
people say about a girl when her nearest male relative breaks, or even
tries to break a big stick over her lover's back? Well, I wasn't going
to have anything of that sort said about you, Carrie."

"You were very thoughtful about my reputation all of a sudden," said
Caroline. She paused, but the words had to come. "It was not because
you wanted to keep any talk from getting to Miss Laura's ears, I
suppose?"

The question was a sneer, but it was there, all the same; she had had
to ask it. And now her whole being hung trembling on the answer,
though she was no less grimly resolved than before to have done with a
man whom she could not trust. But now he did not reply; and that
burning urge of curiosity made Caroline go on--against better judgment,
intention, pride: "Does she know?"

He released Caroline's arm at once and walked on. "Let us leave her
out of the discussion," he said stiffly. "I was just about to tell you
that our engagement is broken off."

But Caroline could not understand--any more than the majority of
women--the feeling which makes a decent man reluctant to discuss an old
love with a new one, and she was now easily able to speak as coldly as
she wished. "I've heard that piece of news," she said.

He turned sharp round. "Why, who told you? It only happened last
night."

"Miss Laura told me," she answered.

"What more did she tell you?" he asked quickly.

"Nothing."

He looked away from her to the sea without replying, and this was her
chance to walk away, if she had wished; but there was still that
question which she must have answered.

"Has Miss Laura heard anything about us? Was that why the engagement
was broken off?"

He waited a moment.