Marjorie lifted a pair of soft arms and put them about his neck.

"Hugh!" she said, "Hugh, if--if I had never known Tom, I--"

"I know," he said. "I know. God bless you." He stooped and kissed her on
the cheek, and rose.

It was a mad thing this that he was to do, yet he never considered its
madness, its folly. It would help her, and Hurst Dormer would never know
its golden-haired mistress, after all.




CHAPTER II

IN WHICH HUGH BREAKS THE NEWS


Lady Linden had just come in from one of her usual and numerous
inspections, during which she had found it necessary to reprove one of
the under-gardeners. She had described him to himself, his character,
his appearance and his methods from her own point of view, and had left
the man stupefied and amazed at the extent of her vocabulary and her
facility of expression. He was still scratching his head, dazedly, when
she came into the drawing-room.

"Hugh, you here? Where is Marjorie?"