e had overheard, always
keeping her eyes on him.

'Is it true?'

'It is true, Emily.'

Between him and her there could be no paltry embarrassments. A direct
question touching both so deeply could be answered only in one way. If
Emily had suffered from a brief distrust, his look and voice, sorrowful
but frank as though he faced Omniscience, restored her courage at once.
There might be grief henceforth, but it was shared between them.

He spoke on and made all plain. Then at the last:

'I felt it to be almost impossible that you should net some day know. I
could not tell you, perhaps on her account as much as on my own. But now
I may say what I had no words for before. She loved me, and I believed
that I could return her love. When I met you, how could I marry her? A
stranger sees my conduct--you have heard how. It is you who alone can
judge me.'

'And she came to me in that way,' Emily murmured. 'She could not only
lose _you_, but give her hand to the woman who robbed her!'

'And take my part with everyone, force herself to show a bright face, do
her best to have it understood that it was she herself who broke off the
marriage--all this.'

'Dare I go to her, Wilfrid? Would it be cruel to go to her? I wish to
speak--oh, not one word that would betray my knowledge, but to say that
I love her. Do you think I may go?'

'I cannot advise you, Emily. Wait until the morning and do then what you
think best.'

She decided to go. Beatrice still lived with Mrs. Birks, and it was
probable that she would be alone on Sunday morning. It proved to be so.

Wilfrid waited more than an hour for Emily's return. When at length she
entered to him, he saw that there was deep content on her countenance.
Emily embraced her husband and laid her head upon his breast. He could
hear her sigh gently.

'She wishes to see you, Wilfrid.'

'She received you kindly?'

'I will tell you all when I have had time to think of it. But she was
sorry you did not come with me. Will you go? She will be alone this
afternoon.'

They held each other in silence. Then Emily, raising an awed face, asked
softly:

'Where does she find her strength? Is her nature so spotless that
self-sacrifice is her highest joy? Wilfrid, I could have asked pardon at
her feet; my heart bled for her.'

'Dearest, you least of all should wonder at the strength which comes of
high motive.'

'Oh, but to surrender you to another and to witness that other's
happiness! Was