a had wondered where he would go to;--a form of anathema
which had brought down a rebuke from her mother. And Nina had always
hated him like poison. But now nothing was too good for him. An
unmarried man who is willing to sacrifice himself is, in feminine
eyes, always worthy of ribbons and a chaplet. Among all these Fawns
there was as little selfishness as can be found,--even among women.
The lover was not the lover of one of themselves, but of their
governess. And yet, though he desired neither to eat nor drink at
that hour, something special had been cooked for him, and a special
bottle of wine had been brought out of the cellar. All his sins were
forgiven him. No single question was asked as to his gross misconduct
during the last six months. No pledge or guarantee was demanded for
the future. There he was, in the guise of a declared lover, and the
fatted calf was killed.

After this early dinner it was necessary that he should return to
town, and Lucy obtained leave to walk with him to the station. To her
thinking now, there was no sin to be forgiven. Everything was, and
had been, just as it ought to be. Had any human being hinted that he
had sinned, she would have defended him to the death. Something was
said between them about Lizzie, but nothing that arose from jealousy.
Not till many months had passed did she tell him of Lizzie's message
to herself, and of her visit to Hertford Street. But they spoke of
the necklace, and poor Lucy shuddered as she was told the truth about
those false oaths. "I really do think that, after that, Lord Fawn is
right," she said, looking round at her lover. "Yes; but what he did,
he did before that," said Frank. "But are they not good and kind?"
she said, pleading for her friends. "Was ever anybody so well treated
as they have treated me? I'll tell you what, sir, you mustn't quarrel
with Lord Fawn any more. I won't allow it." Then she walked back from
the station alone, almost bewildered by her own happiness.

That evening something like an explanation was demanded by Lady Fawn,
but no explanation was forthcoming. When questions were asked about
his silence, Lucy, half in joke and half in earnest, fired up and
declared that everything had been as natural as possible. He could
not have come to Lady Linlithgow's house. Lady Linlithgow would not
receive him. No doubt she had been impatient, but then that had been
her fault. Had he not come to her the very first day after her return
to