ll? Is there no----?"

"No excuse? No, I suppose, none. And I lived with her till she died four
years ago. And--Daisy is our daughter."

"And he--the husband?"

"He did not divorce her. I don't know why not, perhaps because she asked
him to--anyhow he didn't. And he outlived her: so she died--as she had
lived."

"And is he still alive?"

"No; he is dead now." He was about to go on, but checked himself. Why
add that horror? How the man died was nothing between her and him.

"Have you no--nothing to say?" she burst out, almost angrily. "You just
tell me that and stop!"

"What is there to say? I have told you all there is to tell. I loved her
very much. I did what I could to make her happy, and I try to make up
for it to Daisy. But there is nothing more to say."

She was angry that he would not defend himself. She was ready--ah, so
ready!--to listen to his pleading. But he would not say a word for
himself. Instead, he went on,

"She didn't want to come, but I made her. She repented, poor girl, all
her life; she was never quite happy. It was all my doing. Still, I think
she was happier with me, in spite of it."

A movement of impatience escaped from Alicia. Seeing it he added,

"I beg your pardon. I didn't want you to think hardly of her."

"I don't want to think of her at all. Was she--was she like Daisy?"

"Yes; but prettier."

"I don't know what you expect me to say," she exclaimed. "I know--I
suppose some men don't think much of--of a thing like that. To me it is
horrible. You simply followed your-- Ah, I can't speak of it!" and she
seemed to put him from her with a gesture of disgust.

He walked beside her in silence, his face set in the bitter smile it
always wore when fate dealt hardly with him.

"I think I'll go straight home," she said, stopping suddenly. "You can
join the others."

"Yes, that will be best. I'm not due at the Council just yet."

"I suppose I ought to thank you for telling me the truth. I--" Her false
composure suddenly gave way. With a sob she stretched out her hands
towards him, crying, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" and before he
could answer her she turned and walked swiftly away, leaving him
standing still on the pathway.

She was hardly inside the gates of Government House when she saw Eleanor
Scaife, who hurried to meet her.

"Only think, Alicia!" she cried. "Dick is on his way home, and with such
good news. We've just had a cable from him."

"Coming back!"

"Ye