bedroom at quarter-past nine o'clock, commissioned by
her daughter to tell Canning everything. But what was everything, and
what the mere gibberish of nervous insanity, to pass forever from the
horizon with a good night's sleep? Mrs. Heth, seated before her living
Order of Merit in the sitting-room, interpreted her commission with a
mother's wise discretion.

Canning, at this point, knew only that Carlisle was unnerved by news of
the death of a friend. In the drive from the restaurant he had been
cautioned to ask no questions, hysterics being intimated otherwise. Now
Mrs. Heth gave him certain selected particulars: of a man who had been
in love with Carlisle some years ago, though she had always discouraged
him; of a misunderstanding that had arisen between them, which he, the
man, had never got over; and now of his sudden decease, which came as a
shock to the poor girl, awakening painful memories, and giving rise to a
purely momentary sense of morbid responsibility.

"But why," said Canning, more and more mystified as he listened, "should
she want to go back home?"

"I regard it," answered Mrs. Heth, "as a tribute to the dead."

"Why, she doesn't know what she's doing!... You must simply forbid her
going."

"Forbid her!" groaned the little general, like one flicked upon a new
wound.

And, before proceeding further, she was actually artful and strong
enough to make the young man arrange--provisionally, she said,--about
reservations, a matter which valuably consumed time.

If the good lady had now believed that all was lost, she would have
instantly invoked Canning's authority, telling him everything. But as
yet she would not risk that, clinging hard to the hope that Cally's
sanity might come again with the sun of a new day. To-night she was for
the greatest suppression possible, one eye perpetually on the little
travelling-clock. However, the telephoning at last over, more details
could not be avoided. It perforce transpired that the dead man was the
villain of that unfortunate episode at the Beach, which Hugo possibly
recalled,--he did,--and finally that it was worry over his disgrace,
aided by unremitting potations, that had brought him to his death....

The faint frown on Hugo's brow deepened, became more troubled. He paced
the floor.

"And still," said he, "I fail to see why Carlisle must go home to-night.
What does she expect to do when she gets there?"

What, indeed? Mrs. Heth mentioned again the trib