The Return

d unheard, unseen, mounted the stairs. He sat down in front of the fire, tired out and bitterly cold in spite of his long walk home. But his mind was wearier even than his bod

their talk had driven every other idea out of his mind. He had not yet even glanced into the glass. His every thought was va

by now, have actually awakened just his own familiar every-day self again. And the thought of that-though he hardly realised its full import-actually did send him on tip-toe for a glance that more or less effectually set the question at rest. And there looked out at h

. As he leaned his head on his hands, gladly conscious that he could not possi

ping and spying on me as if I was a child in a nursery. I refuse to be watched and guarded and peeped on like this.'

really would be advisable to take such a very old and prudent and practical friend into our confidence. You do nothing I ask of you. I simp

ord softly. 'And Danton, of all people in the world! It was su

do yo

believe: t

e friend of mine in such-well, vulgar terms as that. Besides, Arthur, as for believing-witho

ord, with a faint gust

standing together on the hearthrug; and so was caught, as it were, between a rain of conflicting glances, for her husband had followed instantly, and stood now behind her, stooping a litt

turned himself towards his companion. His small eyes wandere

ld prefer to come down

sks, Lawford,' said Mr Betha

I am sure, Bethany, you will-My dear Mrs Lawford!

nd'-he lifted a long arm-'I must positively refuse to produce the least, the remotest proof that I am not, so far as I am personally aware, ev

an Danton in a

cepticism; and to that end your body flourishes. You were born fat; you became fat; and fat, my dear Danton, has been deliberately thrust o

e. He turned swiftly on Mrs Lawford. 'Why

ld. North, south, east, west-to have a weathercock for a wife is t

orbid it. Do you hear me? I forbid it. Some self-command; my dear good fell

here with his black, still carcase-peeping, peeping-what's he mean, I say?' There was a moment's silence. Then with lifted brows and wide eyes that to every o

ort to disentangle himself from the humiliatio

ethany cordially-'fever. W

ng refuge in Mrs Lawford

cessant strain of such an ordeal. Think

n collar and chin. 'Oh yes. But-eh?-needless

aid Mrs Law

ere, on the monolithic stabil

as as sane, as lucid as I hope I am now. An awful calamity has suddenly fallen upon him-this change. I own frankly at the first sheer shock it staggered me as I think for the moment it has staggered you. But when I had seen the poor fellow face to face, heard him talk, and watched him there upstairs in the silence stir and awake and come up again to his trouble out of his slee

Vicar; bu

cloud, its masking shadow?-call it what you will. A smile can turn a face we dread into a face we'd die for. Some experience, which would be nothing but a hideous cruelty and outrage to ask too closely about-one, perhaps, which he could, even if he would, poor fellow, give no account of-has put him temporarily at the world's mercy. They made him a nine days' wonder, a byword. And that, my dear Danton, is

ued to stare, as if into

sted Mr Bethany with cherubi

ered ease, and rapidly mobilising forces. 'Excu

So,' he briskly brightened, 'say, between us we're six score all told. Are we-can we, deliberately, with this mere pinch of year

's all very well, but'-he paused, and nodded, nodding his round head

, know. You, my dear Danton, forgive the freedom, merely incredulously grope. Faith versus Reason-that prehistoric Armageddon. Some day, and a day not far distant either, Lawford will come back to us. This-this shutter will be taken down as abruptly as by some inconceivably drowsy heedlessness of common Nature it has been put up. He'll win through; and of his own sheer will and courage. But now, because I ask it, and this po

ven in a court of law-though Heaven forbid it ever reaches that stage-personally, I could swear that the fellow that stood abusing me there, in that revolting fashion, was not Lawford. It would be easier even to believe in

, 'I will take all risks-even to the foot of the gibbet: accessory, Danton, AFTER the fact.' And so direct and cloudless was his gaze that Sheila tried in

'I am entirely in your