passed from her memory. She was thinking of that man, and of
what he had said, the horror and the shame of it. And that other
man--Hugh Alston--had brought this upon her--with his insulting lie, his
insolent, lying statement, he had brought it on her! Because of him she
was to be subjected to the shame and humiliation of such an attack as
Slotman had made on her just now.

"Oh, what--what can I do?" she whispered. "And he--he dared to call
me--me ungenerous! Ungenerous for resenting, for hating him for the
position he has put me into. Why did he do it? Why, why, why?" she asked
of herself frantically, and receiving no answer, rose and for a time
paced the room, then came back to the table and sat down once again.

Slotman had said he would return, that she would hear. She could imagine
how that the man, believing her good name in his power, and at his
mercy, would not cease to torment and persecute her.

What could she do? To whom could she turn? She thought of Johnny Everard
for a fleeting moment. There was something so big and strong and honest
about him that he reminded her of some great, noble, clean dog, yet she
could not appeal to him. Had he been her brother--that would have been
different--but how explain to him? No, she could not. Yet she must have
protection from this man, this Slotman. Lady Linden, General
Bartholomew, Helen Everard, name after name came into her mind, and she
dismissed each as it came. To whom could she turn? And then came the
idea on which she acted at once. Of course it must be he!

She rose and sought for pen and paper, and commenced a letter that was
difficult to write. She crushed several sheets of paper and flung them
aside, but the letter was written at last.

"Because you have placed me in an intolerable position, and have
subjected me to insult and annoyance past all bearing, I ask you
to meet me in London at the earliest opportunity. I feel that I
have a right to appeal to you for some protection against the
insults to which your conduct has exposed me. I write in the hope
that you may possibly possess some of the generosity which you
have several times denied that I can lay claim to. I will keep
whatever appointment you may make at any time and any place,

"JOAN MEREDYTH."

And this letter she addressed to Hugh Alston at Hurst Dormer, and
presently went out, bareheaded, into the roadway, and with her own hands
dropped it into the post-