ip _Vesta_ and
travelled post-haste overland, dragging with him a resentful Liosha, and
rushed like a mad bull into an upheaval in which he could have no place.
We had arranged by correspondence that, after he had parted from the
good Captain Maturin at Havre, he would come straight to us, in order to
leave Liosha temporarily in our care. For what else could be done with
her? Let him bring her, then, according to programme. It would be far
better, we agreed, Barbara and I, to let them fulfil their lunatic
adventure undisturbed, and on Jaffery's arrival at Northlands to break
the disastrous tidings. It would give us time to watch Doria and see
what direction the resultant of the forces now tearing her soul would
take.

"Let Jaffery stay away as long as possible," said Barbara. "I can't be
bothered with him. I wish his old voyage could be extended for a year."

* * * * *

The first time I met Doria, when she crawled out of her room, a great
pity smote my heart. The ivory of her face had turned to wax, and she
had dwindled into a fragile reed, and in her eyes quivered the
apprehension of an ill-treated dog. I put my arm round her and hugged
her reassuringly, not knowing what else to do, and mumbled a few silly
words. Then I settled her down before the drawing-room fire, and rushed
out into the garden and cut the last poor lingering autumn roses, and,
returning, cast them into her lap. And we talked hard about the roses;
and I told her which were Madame Abel Chatenay, which Marquise de
Salisbury, and which Frau Karl Druska, which Lady Ursula and which Lady
Hillingdon. We did not refer at all to unhappy things.

It was only some days afterwards that she ventured to raise the veil of
her awful desolation. But she had no need to tell me. Any fool could
have divined it. Together with far less shattering of idols has many a
woman's reason been brought down. And in our poor Doria's case it was
not only the shattering of idols.

"Hilary, dear," she said, with a mournful attempt at a smile. "I can't
go on living here for ever."

"Why not?" I asked. "This is a vast barrack of a place, and you're only
just a bit of a wee white mouse. And we love our pets. Why do you want
to go?"

We were walking up and down the drive. It was a warm, damp morning and
the trees shaken by the mild southwester shed their leaves around us in
a golden shower; and the leaves that had fallen lay sodden on the grass
bor