really very friendly of him. He declared he was only sorry his
news ended there. Should he follow them, and bring her back? He had come
to her because he knew of her anxiety. "It is GOOD of you," she said,
and quite instinctively took and pressed his hand. "And to think of that
poor girl--tonight! It's dreadful." She looked into the fire that she
had lit when he came in, the warm light fell upon her dark purple dress,
and left her features in a warm shadow. She looked such a slight, frail
thing to be troubled so. "We must follow her." Her resolution seemed
magnificent. "I have no one to go with me."

"He must marry her," said the man.

"She has no friends. We have no one. After all--Two women.--So
helpless."

And this fair-haired little figure was the woman that people who knew
her only from her books, called bold, prurient even! Simply because
she was great-hearted--intellectual. He was overcome by the unspeakable
pathos of her position.

"Mrs. Milton," he said. "Hetty!"

She glanced at him. The overflow was imminent. "Not now," she said, "not
now. I must find her first."

"Yes," he said with intense emotion. (He was one of those big, fat men
who feel deeply.) "But let me help you. At least let me help you."

"But can you spare time?" she said. "For ME."

"For you--"

"But what can I do? what can WE do?"

"Go to Midhurst. Follow her on. Trace her. She was there on Thursday
night, last night. She cycled out of the town. Courage!" he said. "We
will save her yet!"

She put out her hand and pressed his again.

"Courage!" he repeated, finding it so well received.

There were alarms and excursions without. She turned her back to the
fire, and he sat down suddenly in the big armchair, which suited his
dimensions admirably. Then the door opened, and the girl showed in
Dangle, who looked curiously from one to the other. There was emotion
here, he had heard the armchair creaking, and Mrs. Milton, whose face
was flushed, displayed a suspicious alacrity to explain. "You, too," she
said, "are one of my good friends. And we have news of her at last."

It was decidedly an advantage to Widgery, but Dangle determined to show
himself a man of resource. In the end he, too, was accepted for the
Midhurst Expedition, to the intense disgust of Widgery; and young
Phipps, a callow youth of few words, faultless collars, and fervent
devotion, was also enrolled before the evening was out. They would scour
the country, all three