too, the courage which never
failed Mrs. Clarke. But she was beginning to see her with new eyes.
Perhaps Father Robertson had given his impulsive visitor a new moral
vision.

During the conversation that afternoon at certain moments Lady Ingleton
had almost hated Cynthia Clarke--when Cynthia had spoken of trying to
wake up Dion Leith's mind, of his not being an intellectual man, of
Jimmy Clarke's shrinking from him because of his deterioration. And when
Cynthia had said that deterioration was "heart-rending" Lady Ingleton
had quite definitely detested her. This feeling of detestation had
persisted while, in the drawing-room, Cynthia was lovingly appreciating
the new acquisition of Sevres. Lady Ingleton sickened now when she
thought of the lovely hands sensitively touching, feeling, the thin
china. There really was something appalling in the delicate mentality,
in the subtle taste, of a woman in whom raged such devastating physical
passions.

Lady Ingleton shuddered as she remembered her conversation with her
"friend." But it had brought about something. It had driven away any
lingering regret of hers for having spoken frankly to Father Robertson.
Cynthia was certainly tired of Dion Leith. Was she about to sacrifice
him as she had sacrificed others? Lady Ingleton dreaded the future. For
during the interview at the Adelphi Hotel she had realized Rosamund's
innate and fastidious purity. To forgive even one infidelity would be
a tremendous moral triumph in such a woman as Rosamund. But if Cynthia
Clarke threw Dion Leith away, and he fell into promiscuous degradation,
then surely Rosamund's nature would rise up in inevitable revolt. Even
if she came to Constantinople then it would surely be too late.

Lady Ingleton had seen clearly enough into the mind of Cynthia Clarke,
but there was hidden from her the greater part of a human drama not yet
complete.

Combined with the ugly passion which governed her life, Mrs. Clarke had
an almost wild love of personal freedom. As much as she loved to fetter
she hated to be fettered. This hatred had led her into many difficulties
during the course of her varied life, difficulties which had always
occurred at moments when she wanted to get rid of people. Ever since she
had grown up there had been recurring epochs when she had been tormented
by the violent desire to rid herself of some one whom she had formerly
longed for, whom she had striven to bind to her. Until now she had
always e