from immediate preoccupations, a flight to the life they always
dreamed of living. Once or twice, now that this new life had
actually drawn its magic circle about them, she had asked herself
if she had done right; but hitherto such conjectures had been no
more than the retrospective excursions of an active fancy. Now,
for the first time, it startled her a little to find how little
she knew of the material foundation on which her happiness was
built.

She glanced again at her husband, and was reassured by the
composure of his face; yet she felt the need of more definite
grounds for her reassurance.

"But doesn't this suit worry you? Why have you never spoken to
me about it?"

He answered both questions at once: "I didn't speak of it at
first because it DID worry me--annoyed me, rather. But it's all
ancient history now. Your correspondent must have got hold of a
back number of the 'Sentinel.'"

She felt a quick thrill of relief. "You mean it's over? He's
lost his case?"

There was a just perceptible delay in Boyne's reply. "The suit's
been withdrawn--that's all."

But she persisted, as if to exonerate herself from the inward
charge of being too easily put off. "Withdrawn because he saw he
had no chance?"