ke and to a man who
was of the world and who had lived a long life in it the contemplation
of her was a strange and baffling thing.

"You do not ask whether _I_ believe you?" he spoke quite low.

The silence of the darkening wood was unearthly and her dropped word
scarcely stirred it.

"No." She had never even thought of it.

He himself was inwardly shaken by his own feeling.

"I will believe you if--you will believe me," was what he said, a
singular sharp new desire impelling him.

She merely lifted her face a little so that her eyes rested upon him.

"Because of this tragic thing you must believe me. It will be necessary
that you should. What you have thought of me with regard to your mother
is not true. You believed it because the world did. Denial on my part
would merely have called forth laughter. Why not? When a man who has
money and power takes charge of a pretty, penniless woman and pays her
bills, the pose of Joseph or Galahad is not a good one for him. My
statement would no more have been believed than yours will be believed
if you can produce no proof. What you say is what any girl might say in
your dilemma, what I should have said would have been what any man might
have said. But--I believe you. Do you believe _me_?"

She did not understand why suddenly--though languidly--she knew that he
was telling her a thing which was true. It was no longer of consequence
but she knew it. And if it was true all she had hated him for so long
had been founded on nothing. He had not been bad--he had only _looked_
bad and that he could not help. But what did that matter, either? She
could not feel even sorry.

"I will--try," she answered.

It was no use as yet, he saw. What he was trying to deal with was in a
new Dimension.

He held out his hands and helped her to her feet.

"The Wood is growing very dark," he said. "We must go. I will take you
to Mrs. Bennett's and you can spend the night with her."

The Wood was growing dark indeed. He was obliged to guide her through
the closeness of the undergrowth. They threaded their way along the
narrow path and the shadows seemed to close in behind them. Before they
reached the end which would have led them out into the open he put his
hand on her shoulder and held her back.

"In this Wood--even now--there is Something which must be saved from
suffering. It is helpless--it is blameless. It is not you--it is not
Donal. God help it."

He spoke steadily but strangely