, and no sophistry can get over
it--you obtained my consent under false pretences?'

For he was naturally intensely humiliated by the difference these
disclosures must make in his daughter's position, and did not spare
his son-in-law. He said much more to the same effect, and Mark bore it
all without attempting a defence: he still felt a little stunned by
the danger he had passed through, and, after all, he thought, what he
had heard now was nothing to what might have been said to him!

Obeying a glance from Mabel, as the others followed Mrs. Featherstone
back to the music-room, Vincent had remained behind.

'When will you allow this to be generally known?' she asked, and her
voice had a strange new coldness which struck him with terror. Had she
seen through his device? Was it all useless?

'As soon as possible,' he answered gently. 'We shall see the
publishers to-morrow, and then all the details will be arranged.'

'And your triumph will come,' she said bitterly. 'I hope you will be
able to enjoy it!'

'Mabel,' he said earnestly, 'Harold Caffyn forced me to speak
to-night--surely you saw that? I--I did not intend to claim the book
yet.'

'Why didn't you claim it long ago?' she demanded. 'Why must you put
this burden on Mark at all? Surely your secret could have been kept
without that! But you came home and knew what a success Mark's (_your_
book, I beg your pardon--it is strange at first, you know)--what a
success your book had been, and how hard it was making his life for
him--he begged you then, you said, to take back his promise, and
you--you would not. Oh, it was selfish, Vincent, cruelly selfish of
you!'

His sole concern in making that hasty explanation had been to give it
an air of reasonable probability: he had never given a thought till
that moment of the light in which he was presenting his own conduct.
Now, in one terrible instant, it rushed upon him with an overwhelming
force.

'I--I acted for the best,' he said; and even to himself the words
sounded like a sullen apology.

'For _your_ best!' she said. 'The book will be talked of more than
ever now. But did you never think of the false position in which you
were placing Mark? What will become of him after this? People might
have read his books once--they will never read them now--they may even
say that--that Harold Caffyn may have been right. And all that is your
work, Vincent!'

He groaned within him at his helplessness; he stood before her