er did. One thing I do not want blamed on to him. Those letters and
things which were sent back to you, I sent--I sent them entirely
myself--Charlie did not send them--I sent them."

She looked up at him quickly and then away as though she feared to meet
his eyes.

"Is that all you wished to tell me?" he asked.

"I wished to tell you--all about it. I do not want you to blame Charlie.
It was not his fault--nothing was his fault. I was a silly, flighty girl
and fancied myself in love with everyone, whereas, really, I never cared
at all, not until I met him. I don't want you to think he was to blame,
because, if you do, you may want to be revenged on him, and now you have
this opportunity you may take it. If you believe me and realise he had
nothing whatever to do with my changing my mind, more than to come into
my life, as he did, then you may sympathise with him in his present
trouble and save him all you can."

She did not attempt to look at him again as she spoke. He leaned back in
his chair and turned his glance away from her, away to the space between
the window and the blind. The first glint of the moon was stealing over
the dark line of the bush and spreading over the open country between it
and the line of fence. He could see, indistinctly, what seemed to be a
heavy shadow moving slowly away from the trees.

"It is a subject on which I would rather say nothing, Mrs. Eustace," he
said presently, without removing his eyes from the window. "If you wish
to speak about it, and you think it will ease your mind in any way, I
will listen to all you wish to say. But do not expect me to reply to
you. Do not expect me to express any opinion. I do not wish to appear
harsh, but I must tell you that so far as I am concerned, the curtain
was rung down upon the last act of my romance when my letters were
returned--was rung down to remain down for ever."

"I was afraid it would be a distasteful subject to you," she said; "but
I must talk about it--I must. I have wanted to tell you for so long--I
wanted to write to you and explain after the things were sent off,
but--but it was so difficult. I felt how horrible it was of me, how
horrible and how mean, never to say one word, but just throw everything
in your face after--after all you had done for me. I deserve to suffer
what I am going through now--I deserve everything. It was so
contemptible of me to allow myself to be--to do what I did," she added
quickly, and he felt rather