after her, and left the two together. He went and sat down in
the outer hall, in case any one should ring the bell, which had been
muffled with a bit of soft leather while Guido was ill.

Cecilia stood still a moment, after the door was closed; behind her, and
she lifted her veil to see her way, for there was not much light in the
room. As she caught sight of Guido, a frank smile lighted up her face
for an instant, and then died away in a look of genuine concern and
anxiety. She had not realised how much he could change in so short a
time, in not more than four or five days. She came forward quickly, took
his hand, and bent over him, looking into his face. His eyes widened
with pleasure and his thin fingers lifted hers to his lips.

"You have been very ill," she said, "very, very ill! I had no idea that
it was so bad as this!"

"I am better," he answered gently. "How good of you! How endlessly good
of you to come!"

"Nobody saw me," she said, by way of answer.

She smoothed the old pink damask cushion under his head, and
instinctively looked to see if he had all he needed within reach, before
she thought of sitting down in the chair Lamberti had placed ready for
her.

"Tell me," he said, in a low and somewhat anxious voice, "you did not
mean it? You were out of temper, or you were annoyed by something, or--I
do not know! Something happened that made you write, and you had sent
the letter before you knew what you were doing----"

He broke off, quite sure of her answer. He thought she turned pale,
though the light was not strong and brought the green colour of the
closed blinds into the room.

"Hush!" she exclaimed soothingly, and she sat down beside him, still
holding his hand. "I have come expressly to talk to you about it all,
because letters only make misunderstandings, and there must not be any
more misunderstandings between us two."

"No, never again!" He looked up with love in his hollow eyes, not
suspecting what she meant. "I have forgotten all that was in that
letter, and I wish to forget it. You never wrote that you did not love
me, nor that you loved another man. It is all gone, quite gone, and I
shall never remember it again."

Cecilia sighed and gazed into his face sadly. He looked so ill and weak
that she wondered how she could be cruel enough to tell him the truth,
though she had risked her good name to get a chance of speaking plainly.
It seemed like bringing a cup of cold water to the lips of