nce of education. That is why
I have been so careful about talking of poor Lilia before her."

"But you forget this wretched baby. Waters and Adamson write that there
is a baby."

"Mrs. Theobald must be told. But she doesn't count. She is breaking
up very quickly. She doesn't even see Mr. Kingcroft now. He, thank
goodness, I hear, has at last consoled himself with someone else."

"The child must know some time," persisted Philip, who felt a little
displeased, though he could not tell with what.

"The later the better. Every moment she is developing."

"I must say it seems rather hard luck, doesn't it?"

"On Irma? Why?"

"On us, perhaps. We have morals and behaviour also, and I don't think
this continual secrecy improves them."

"There's no need to twist the thing round to that," said Harriet, rather
disturbed.

"Of course there isn't," said her mother. "Let's keep to the main issue.
This baby's quite beside the point. Mrs. Theobald will do nothing, and
it's no concern of ours."

"It will make a difference in the money, surely," said he.

"No, dear; very little. Poor Charles provided for every kind of
contingency in his will. The money will come to you and Harriet, as
Irma's guardians."

"Good. Does the Italian get anything?"

"He will get all hers. But you know what that is."

"Good. So those are our tactics--to tell no one about the baby, not even
Miss Abbott."

"Most certainly this is the proper course," said Mrs. Herriton,
preferring "course" to "tactics" for Harriet's sake. "And why ever
should we tell Caroline?"

"She was so mixed up in the affair."

"Poor silly creature. The less she hears about it the better she will be
pleased. I have come to be very sorry for Caroline. She, if any one,
has suffered and been penitent. She burst into tears when I told her a
little, only a little, of that terrible letter. I never saw such genuine
remorse. We must forgive her and forget. Let the dead bury their dead.
We will not trouble her with them."

Philip saw that his mother was scarcely logical. But there was no
advantage in saying so. "Here beginneth the New Life, then. Do you
remember, mother, that was what we said when we saw Lilia off?"

"Yes, dear; but now it is really a New Life, because we are all at
accord. Then you were still infatuated with Italy. It may be full
of beautiful pictures and churches, but we cannot judge a country by
anything but its men."

"That is quite true," he said sadly.