and
awaiting confidently the meeting with her own.

'Of course,' she said, 'I am entirely in your hands, dear Mr Bethany.'

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Lawford slept far into the cloudy Monday morning, to wake steeped in
sleep, lethargic, and fretfully haunted by inconclusive remembrances
of the night before. When Sheila, with obvious and capacious composure,
brought him his breakfast tray, he watched her face for some time
without speaking.

'Sheila,' he began, as she was about to leave the room again.

She paused, smiling.

'Did anything happen last night? Would you mind telling me, Sheila? Who
was it was here?'

Her lids the least bit narrowed. 'Certainly, Arthur; Mr Danton was
here.'

'Then it was not a dream?'

'Oh no,' said Sheila.

'What did I say? What did HE say? It was hopeless, anyhow.'

'I don't quite understand what you mean by "hopeless," Arthur. And must
I answer the other questions?'

Lawford drew his hand over his face, like a tired child. 'He
didn't--believe?'

'No, dear,' said Sheila softly.

'And you, Sheila?' came the subdued voice.

Sheila crossed slowly to the window. 'Well, quite honestly, Arthur, I
was not very much surprised. Whatever we are agreed about on the whole,
you were scarcely yourself last night.'

Lawford shut his eyes, and re-opened them full on his wife's calm
scrutiny, who had in that moment turned in the light of the one drawn
blind to face him again.

'Who is? Always?'

'No,' said Sheila; 'but--it was at least unfortunate. We can't, I
suppose, rely on Dr Bethany alone.'

Lawford crouched over his food. 'Will he blab?'

'Blab! Mr Danton is a gentleman, Arthur.'

Lawford rolled his eyes as if in temporary vertigo. 'Yes,' he said. And
Sheila once more prepared to make a reposeful exit.

'I don't think I can see Simon this morning.'

'Oh. Who, then?'

'I mean I would prefer to be left alone.'

'Believe me, I had no intention to intrude.' And this time the door
really closed.

'He is in a quiet, soothing sleep,' said Sheila a few minutes later.

'Nothing could be better,' said Dr Simon; and Lawford, to his
inexpressible relief, heard the fevered throbbing of the doctor's car
reverse, and turned over and shut his eyes, dulled and exhausted in
the still unfriendliness of the vacant room. His spirits had sunk,
he thought, to their lowest ebb. He scarcely heeded the fragments of
dreams--clear, green landscapes, amazing gleams of peace, the
sudden broken vo