him at all, and written evidently because she
felt some concern for his safety, was enough to console him at the
moment.

When he began to consider the contents of her note it disturbed him more
than a little. He had not imagined that his secret, such as it was, had
passed into the keeping of any other man, still less that it had become
club-talk in London. He saw at once what evil construction might be put
upon it by malicious gossip-mongers, and he knew that henceforth he was
face to face with a danger which he could do little or nothing to avert.

What should he attempt in his defence? How should he use the weapon
which Lettice had put into his hand by forewarning him? One reasonable
idea suggested itself, and this was that he should tell the true story
to those who knew him best, in order that they might at any rate have
the power to meet inventions and exaggerations by his own version of the
facts. He busied himself during the next few days in this melancholy
task, calling at the house of his friends, and making the best pretext
he could for introducing his chapter of autobiography.

He called on the Grahams, amongst others, and was astonished to find
that they knew the story already.

"I have told the facts to one or two," he said, "for the reason that I
have just mentioned to you, but I think they understood that it would do
me no good to talk about it, except in contradiction of unfriendly
versions. How did you hear it?"

Graham took out of his pocket a copy of _The Gadabout_ and said,

"I'm afraid you have made enemies, Walcott, and if you have not seen
this precious concoction it would be no kindness to you to conceal it.
Here--you will see at a glance how much they have embellished it."

Walcott took the paper, and read as follows:--

"It is probable that before long the public may be startled by a
judicial inquiry into the truth of a story which has been told with much
circumstantiality concerning the remarkable disappearance of the wife of
a well-known poet some three or four years ago."

Then came the details, without any mention of persons or places, and the
paragraph concluded in this fashion. "It is not certain how the matter
will come into court, but rumor states that there is another lady in the
case, that the buried secret came to light in a most dramatic way, and
that evidence is forthcoming from very unexpected quarters."

The victim of this sorry piece of scandal gazed at the paper in a