d. She sat looking at him with a compassionate
smile. It was an odd thing if this poor broken-down man could not be
made subservient to her will.

'I still think, dear boy, that we ought to accept Lady Isobel's
invitation.'

A nervous paroxysm shook him.

'Damn Lady Isobel! I thought that was done with.'

'I don't think you would speak of her like that, Hugh, if you knew all
her kindness to me. I couldn't tell you all yesterday. May I now? Or
shall I only irritate you?'

'What is it? Of course, I don't want you to offend her. But I suppose
she has common-sense?'

'More than most women. There's no fear of offending her. I have another
reason. Come and sit quietly by me, and let us talk as we used to do.
Do you know, dear, it's a good thing for me that I had powerful
friends; I needed all their help against my enemies.'

'What enemies?'

'Have you forgotten what you yourself said, and felt so strongly, at
that time--what a danger I was exposed to when we determined to tell
the whole truth? You knew what some people would say.'

'They've said it, no doubt; and what harm has it done you? Tell me a
name, and if it's a man----'

'Don't! I can't bear to see that look on your face, Hugh. You could do
nothing but endless harm, trying to defend me that way. I have lived it
down, thinking of you even more than of myself. There was a time when I
almost despaired; people are so glad to think evil. If I had been a
weak woman, I should have run away and hidden myself; and then
everybody would have said, "I told you so." But I had to think of you,
and that gave me strength. What could I do? Truth alone is no good
against the world; but truth with a handle to its name and with a
million of money--that's a different thing. It was life or death, dear
boy, and I had to fight for it. So I went to Lady Isobel Barker. I only
knew her by name. She, of course, knew _me_ by name, and cold enough
she was when I got admitted to her. But half an hour's talk--and I had
won! She was my friend; she would stand by me, and all the world should
know it. Stay! The worst is over, but there's still a good deal to be
done. It has to be known that my friends are your friends also. There
was a paragraph in the papers yesterday, saying that you and your wife
were going as Lady Isobel's guests to that house of hers. She did that
for me. And now, do you think we ought to seem even seem--to slight her
kindness?' Hugh was turning about, chafing impoten