shock could have had anything to do with his illness?"

"Of course I do. At least, I should say it was indirectly responsible for
it."

She put her hand up to hide her face. He saw that in some way
incomprehensible to him, so far from shielding her, he had struck a blow.

"Dr. Gardner told you that much," said he. He felt easier, somehow, in
halving the responsibility with Gardner.

"Yes. He told me that. But he had not seen him since October. You saw him
on Friday, the day I came home."

Hannay was confirmed in his suspicion that on Friday there had been a
scene. He now saw that Mrs. Majendie was tortured by the remembrance of
her part in it.

"Oh well," he said consolingly. "He hadn't been himself for a long time
before that."

"I know. I know. That only makes it worse."

She wept slowly, silently, then stopped suddenly and held herself in a
restraint that was ten times more pitiful to see. Hannay was unspeakably
distressed.

"Perhaps," said he, "if you could tell me what's on your mind, I might be
able to relieve you."

She shook her head.

"Come," he said kindly, "what is it, really? What do you imagine makes it
worse?"

"I said something to him that I didn't mean."

"Of course you did," said Hannay, smiling cheerfully. "We all say things
to each other that we don't mean. That wouldn't hurt him."

"But it did. I told him he was responsible for Peggy's death. I didn't
know what I was saying. I let him think he killed her."

"He wouldn't think it."

"He did. There was nothing else he could think. If he dies I shall have
killed him."

"You will have done nothing of the sort. He wouldn't think twice about
what a woman said in her anger or her grief. He wouldn't believe it. He's
got too much sense. You can put that idea out of your head for ever."

"I cannot put it out. I had to tell you--lest you should think--"

"Lest I should think--what?"

"That it was something else that caused his illness."

"But, my dear lady--it _was_ something else. I haven't a doubt about it."

"I know what you mean," she said quickly. "He had been drinking--poor
dear."

"How do you know that?"

"The doctor asked me. He asked me if he had been in the habit of taking
too much."

Hannay heaved a deep sigh of discomfort and disappointment.

"It's no good," said she, "trying to keep things from me. And there's
another thing that I must know."

"You're distressing yourself most needlessly. There is nothing more to