ition again," Borrowdean answered, "it will be my own
choice. Mannering has asked me to join his Cabinet."

Berenice raised her eyebrows. Her surprise was genuine.

"You amaze me!" she declared.

"I was amazed myself," he answered.

She passed on her way, and Borrowdean descending, took a cab quietly
home. Berenice, with her hand upon the door, hesitated. Hester had
purposely sent her up alone. They had waited until they had heard
Borrowdean leave the room. And now at the last moment she hesitated. She
was a proud woman. She was departing now, for his sake, from the
conventions of a lifetime. He had declined to come to her; no matter, she
had come to him instead. Suppose--he should not be glad? Suppose she
should fail to see in his face her justification? It was very quiet in
the room. She could not even hear the scratching of his pen. Twice her
fingers closed upon the knob of the door, and twice she hesitated. If it
had not been for facing Hester below she would probably have gone
silently away.

And then--she heard a sound. It was not at all the sort of sound for
which she had been listening, but it brought her hesitation to a sudden
end. She threw open the door, and a little cry of amazement broke from
her trembling lips. It was indeed a groan which she had heard. Mannering
was stretched upon the floor, his eyes half closed, his face ghastly
white. For a moment she stood motionless, a whole torrent of arrested
speech upon her quivering lips. Then she dropped on her knees by his side
and lifted his cold hand.

"Oh, my love!" she murmured. "My love!"

But he made no sign. Then she stood up, and her cry of horror rang
through the house.

CHAPTER V

A BRAZEN PROCEEDING

Mannering opened his eyes lazily. His companion had stopped suddenly in
his reading. He appeared to be examining a certain paragraph in the paper
with much interest. Mannering stretched out his hand for a match, and
relit his cigarette.

"Read it out, Richard," he said. "Don't mind me."

The young man started slightly.

"I am very sorry, sir," he said. "I thought that you were asleep!"

Mannering smiled.

"What about the paragraph?" he asked.

"It is just this," Richard answered, reading. "'The Duchess of Lenchester
and Miss Clara Mannering have arrived at Claridge's from the South of
Italy.'"

Mannering looked at him keenly.

"I am curious to know which part of that announcement you find so
interesting," he said.

"Cert