rt I might have been. That is my
attitude toward you; you are amiable to me; I like you.

"Now, why am I not in love with you? I've told you that it's
because I will not let myself be in love with you. Why?

"Dear--it's just because you _have_ been nice to me. Do you
understand? No, you don't. Then--to go back to what I spoke of--I
am not free to marry. I am married. Now you know. And there's no
way out of it that I can see.

"If I were in love with you I'd simply take you. I am only your
friend--and I can't do you that injury. Curious, isn't it, how
such a blackguard as I am can be so fastidious!

"But that's the truth. And that, too, may explain a number of
other matters.

"So you see how it is, dear. The world _is_ full of a number of
things. One of them signs himself your friend,

"LOUIS MALCOURT."

Virginia's eyes remained on the written page long after she had finished
reading. They closed once or twice, opened again, blue-green,
expressionless. Looking aloft after a while she tried to comprehend that
the sky was still overhead; but it seemed to be a tricky, unsteady,
unfamiliar sky, wavering, crawling across space like the wrinkled sea
beneath it. Confused, she turned, peering about; the beach, too, was
becoming unstable; and, through the sudden rushing darkness that
obscured things, she tried to rise, then dropped full length along the
sand.

A few seconds later--or perhaps minutes, or perhaps hours--she found
herself seated perfectly conscious, mechanically drying the sea-water
from her wet face; while beside her knelt a red-capped figure in wet
bathing-dress, both hands brimming with sea-water which ran slowly
between the delicate fingers and fell, sparkling.

"Do you feel better?" asked Shiela gently.

"Yes," she said, perfectly conscious and vaguely surprised. Presently
she looked down at her skirts, groped about, turned, searching with
outstretched fingers. Then her eyes fell on the letter. It lay on the
sand beside her sunshade, carefully weighted with a shell.

Neither she nor the girl beside her spoke. Virginia adjusted her hat and
veil, sat motionless for a few moments, then picked up the water-stained
letter and, rolling it, placed it in her wet glove. A slow flame burned
in her pallid cheeks; her eyes remained downcast.

Shiela said with quick sympathy: "I never fainted in my life. Is it
painful?"

"N