r than appearances, in that it stood by the denial of
appearances, so that, if appearances were against it, what of that?

He was thinking about it now, obscurely, without images, barely with
words, as if it had been indeed a thing occult and metaphysical.

Thinking about it--that meant, of course, that he had for a moment
doubted it? It was coming back to him now, clothed with the mortal
pathos of its imperfection. She was dearer to him--unspeakably dearer,
for his doubt.

The man with the brain approached slowly and unwillingly the conclusion
that now emerged, monstrous and abominable, from the obscurity. If that
be so, he said, she is deliberately deceiving me.

And he who watched, he with the illuminating, incommunicable secret,
smiled as he watched, in scorn and pity. Scorn of the slow and ugly
movements of the intellect, and pity for a creature so mean as to employ
them.

In the silence that he kept he had not heard the deep breathing of the
woman at his side. Now he was aware of it and her.

He was positively relieved when the servant announced Mrs. Levine.

There was a look on Sophy's face that Brodrick knew, a look of
importance and of competence, a look it always had when Sophy was about
to deal with a situation. Gertrude's silent disappearance marked her
sense of a situation to be dealt with.

Brodrick rose heavily to greet his sister. There was a certain
consolation in her presence, since it had relieved him of Gertrude's.
Sophy, by way of prelude, inquired about Brodrick and the children and
the house, then paused to attack her theme.

"When's Jane coming back?" said she.

"I don't know," said Brodrick.

"She's been away two months."

"Seven weeks," said Brodrick.

"Isn't it about time she _did_ come back?"

"She's the best judge of that," said Brodrick.

Sophy's face was extraordinarily clear-eyed and candid as it turned on
him.

"George Tanqueray's at Chagford."

"How do you know?" (He really wondered.)

"Miss Ranger let it out to Louis this morning."

"Let it out? Why on earth should she keep it in?"

"Oh well, I don't suppose _she_ sees anything in it."

"No more do I," said Brodrick.

"You never saw anything," said Sophy. "I don't say there's anything to
see--all the same----"

She paused.

"Well?" He was all attention and politeness.

"All the same I should insist on her coming back."

He was silent, as though he were considering it.

"Or better still, go down and f