ee you!" she exclaimed; and her tone had the
effect of completing his reassurance, his happy sense that she would
understand and help him.

"I wanted to see you too," he began confusedly; then, conscious of the
intimacy of the phrase, he added with a slight laugh: "The fact is, I'm
a culprit looking for a peace-maker."

"A culprit?"

"I've been so tied down at the mills that I didn't know, till yesterday,
just when I could break away; and in the hurry of leaving--" He paused
again, checked by the impossibility of uttering, to the girl before him,
the little conventional falsehoods which formed the small currency of
Bessy's circle. Not that any scruple of probity restrained him: in
trifling matters he recognized the usefulness of such counters in the
social game; but when he was with Justine he always felt the obscure
need of letting his real self be seen.

"I was stupid enough not to telegraph," he said, "and I am afraid my
wife will think me negligent: she often has to reproach me for my sins
of omission, and this time I know they are many."

The girl received this in silence, less from embarrassment than from
surprise; for she had already guessed that it was as difficult for
Amherst to touch, even lightly, on his private affairs, as it was
instinctive with his wife to pour her grievances into any willing ear.
Justine's first thought was one of gratification that he should have
spoken, and of eagerness to facilitate the saying of whatever he wished
to say; but before she could answer he went on hastily: "The fact is,
Bessy does not know how complicated the work at Westmore is; and when I
caught sight of you just now I was thinking that you are the only one of
her friends who has any technical understanding of what I am trying to
do, and who might consequently help her to see how hard it is for me to
take my hand from the plough."

Justine listened gravely, longing to cry out her comprehension and
sympathy, but restrained by the sense that the moment was a critical
one, where impulse must not be trusted too far. It was quite possible
that a reaction of pride might cause Amherst to repent even so guarded
an avowal; and if that happened, he might never forgive her for having
encouraged him to speak. She looked up at him with a smile.

"Why not tell Bessy yourself? Your understanding of the case is a good
deal clearer than mine or any one else's."

"Oh, Bessy is tired of hearing about it from me; and besides--" Sh