rembled, and tears came
into her eyes, but she spoke resolutely.

"Thank you for telling me," she said. "You were right to come here and
to tell me. If I hate you, as you say, that's my fault, not yours."

She paused. It was evident that she was making a tremendous effort to
conquer something; she even shut her eyes for a brief instant. Then she
added in a very low voice;

"Thank you!"

And she put out her hand.

Tears started into Lady Ingleton's eyes as she took the hand. Rosamund
turned and went quickly out of the room.

Some minutes after she had gone Lady Ingleton heard rain beating upon
the window. The sound reminded her of the umbrella she had "stood"
in the corner of the room when Rosamund came in. It was still there.
Impulsively she went to the corner and took it up; then, realizing that
Rosamund must already be on her way, she laid it down on the table. She
stood for a moment looking from "Wedded" to the damp umbrella.

Then she sat down on the sofa and cried impetuously.

CHAPTER XII

It was the month of May. Already there had been several unusually hot
days in Constantinople, and Mrs. Clarke was beginning to think about the
villa at Buyukderer. She was getting tired of Pera. She had fulfilled
her promise to Dion Leith. She had given up going to England for Jimmy's
Christmas holidays and had spent the whole winter in Constantinople. But
now she had had enough of it for the present, indeed more than enough of
it.

She was feeling weary of the everlasting diplomatic society, of the
_potins_ political and social, of the love affairs and intrigues of her
acquaintances which she knew of or divined, of the familiar voices
and faces. She wanted something new; she wanted to break away. The
restlessness that was always in her, concealed beneath her pale aspect
of calm, was persecuting her as the spring with its ferment drew near to
the torrid summer.

The spring had got into her veins and had made her long for novelty.

One morning when Sonia came into Mrs. Clarke's bedroom with the coffee
she brought a piece of news.

"Miladi Ingleton arrived at the Embassy from England yesterday," said
Sonia, in her thick, soft voice.

The apparent recovery of Lady Ingleton's mother had been a deception.
She had had a relapse almost immediately after Lady Ingleton's return
from Liverpool to London; an operation had been necessary, and Lady
Ingleton had been obliged to stay on in England several weeks.
During t