you most heartily. There's solid worth in that chap. He
goes straight ahead and never plays the fool."

He looked straight at her as he spoke. Not by the flicker of an eyelid
did he seem to recall the fact that he had once asked on his own behalf
that which he apparently so heartily approved of her bestowing upon
another.

Yet Molly, torn with remorse over what was irrevocable, did a most
outrageous thing.

"Charlie!" she cried, with a deep ringing passion that would not be
suppressed. "Why have I been deceived like this? Why didn't you tell me?
How could you let me imagine anything so false?" She flung out her other
hand to him and he took it; but still he laughed.

"Oh, come, Molly!" he protested. "I did tell you, you know. I told you
the day after it happened. Don't you remember? I had to account for the
skirt."

She wrenched her hands away from him. The thrill of laughter in his
voice seemed to jar all her nerves. She was, moreover, wearied with the
emotions of the day.

"Oh, don't you see," she cried passionately, "how different it might
have been? If you had told me--if you had made me understand! I could
have cared--I did care--only you seemed to me--unworthy. How could I
know? What chance had I?"

She bowed her head suddenly, and burst into a storm of bitter weeping.

Charlie turned white to his lips. He stood perfectly motionless till the
anguished sobbing goaded him beyond endurance. Then he flung round with
a jerk.

"Stop, for Heaven's sake!" he exclaimed harshly. "I can't bear it. It's
too much--too much."

He moved close to her, his face twitching, and took her shaking
shoulders between his hands.

"Molly!" he said almost violently. "You don't know what you said just
now. You didn't mean it. It has always been Fisher--always, from the
very beginning."

She did not contradict him. She did not even answer him. She was sobbing
as in passionate despair.

And it was that moment which Fisher chose for poking his head into the
smoking-room in search of Charlie, whom he expected to find dozing over
the fire, ignorant of the fact that it was close upon dinner-time.

Charlie leapt round at the opening of the door, but Fisher had taken
stock of the situation. He entered with that in his face which the boy
had never seen there before--a look that it was impossible to ignore.

Charlie met Fisher half-way across the room.

"Come into the billiard-room!" he said hurriedly.

He seized Fisher's arms w