to her. But she who supposed all her sensibility dead by this time,
discovered in herself a resentment of this ultimate betrayal. She had no
resignation for this one. With a sort of mental sullenness she said to
herself: "Well, I am here. I am here without any nonsense. It is not my
fault that I am a mere worthless object of pity."

And these things which she could tell herself with a clear conscience
served her better than the passionate obstinacy of purpose could serve
Roderick Anthony. She was much more sure of herself than he was. Such
are the advantages of mere rectitude over the most exalted generosity.

And so they went out to get married, the people of the house where she
lodged having no suspicion of anything of the sort. They were only
excited at a "gentleman friend" (a very fine man too) calling on Miss
Smith for the first time since she had come to live in the house. When
she returned, for she did come back alone, there were allusions made to
that outing. She had to take her meals with these rather vulgar people.
The woman of the house, a scraggy, genteel person, tried even to provoke
confidences. Flora's white face with the deep blue eyes did not strike
their hearts as it did the heart of Captain Anthony, as the very face of
the suffering world. Her pained reserve had no power to awe them into
decency.

Well, she returned alone--as in fact might have been expected. After
leaving the Registry Office Flora de Barral and Roderick Anthony had gone
for a walk in a park. It must have been an East-End park but I am not
sure. Anyway that's what they did. It was a sunny day. He said to her:
"Everything I have in the world belongs to you. I have seen to that
without troubling my brother-in-law. They have no call to interfere."

She walked with her hand resting lightly on his arm. He had offered it
to her on coming out of the Registry Office, and she had accepted it
silently. Her head drooped, she seemed to be turning matters over in her
mind. She said, alluding to the Fynes: "They have been very good to me."
At that he exclaimed:

"They have never understood you. Well, not properly. My sister is not a
bad woman, but . . . "

Flora didn't protest; asking herself whether he imagined that he himself
understood her so much better. Anthony dismissing his family out of his
thoughts went on: "Yes. Everything is yours. I have kept nothing back.
As to the piece of paper we have just got from t