son.

'Don't you think it's true?' he asked helplessly. At the first moment he
had put the fullest faith in Daisy's letter, he had been so anxious to
believe it; but the scorn of the others....

'There's Miss Reed coming down the street,' said George. 'She's looking
this way, and she's crossing over. I believe she's coming in.'

'What does she want?' asked Mrs Griffith, angrily.

There was another knock at the door, and through the curtains they saw
Miss Reed's eyes looking towards them, trying to pierce the muslin. Mrs
Griffith motioned the two men out of the room, and hurriedly put
antimacassars on the chairs. The knock was repeated, and Mrs Griffith,
catching hold of a duster, went to the door.

'Oh, Miss Reed! Who'd have thought of seeing you?' she cried with
surprise.

'I hope I'm not disturbing,' answered Miss Reed, with an acid smile.

'Oh, dear no!' said Mrs Griffith. 'I was just doing the dusting in the
parlour. Come in, won't you? The place is all upside down, but you
won't mind that, will you?'

Miss Reed sat on the edge of a chair.

'I thought I'd just pop in to ask about dear Daisy. I met Fanning as I
was coming along and he told me you'd had a letter.'

'Oh! Daisy?' Mrs Griffith had understood at once why Miss Reed came, but
she was rather at a loss for an answer.... 'Yes, we have had a letter
from her. She's up in London.'

'Yes, I knew that,' said Miss Reed. 'George Browning saw them get into
the London train, you know.'

Mrs Griffith saw it was no good fencing, but an idea occurred to her.

'Yes, of course her father and I are very distressed about--her eloping
like that.'

'I can quite understand that,' said Miss Reed.

'But it was on account of his family. He didn't want anyone to know
about it till he was married.'

'Oh!' said Miss Reed, raising her eyebrows very high.

'Yes,' said Mrs Griffith, 'that's what she said in her letter; they were
married on Saturday at a registry office.'

'But, Mrs Griffith, I'm afraid she's been deceiving you. It's Captain
Hogan.... and he's a married man.'

She could have laughed outright at the look of dismay on Mrs Griffith's
face. The blow was sudden, and notwithstanding all her power of
self-control, Mrs Griffith could not help herself. But at once she
recovered, an angry flush appeared on her cheek bones.

'You don't mean it?' she cried.

'I'm afraid it's quite true,' said Miss Reed, humbly. 'In fact I know it
is.'

'Then she's a lyin