platform; she would hardly
know what to say; and--and there it was!

There it was, but luckily not alone, indeed surrounded by quite a crowd
of familiar faces, and the awkward moment--for the moment was awkward,
far, far more so than Leonore suspected--was tided over by its
publicity.

Every one had been told beforehand what took the general to the station
on the occasion.

In the interval which had elapsed between the present moment and his
reluctant tender of the shelter of his hearth towards his unfortunate
daughter, he had had time to think. Since he must have her and there was
no help for it, he would brave out the situation. His neighbours were
not in the least likely to have heard anything of Godfrey Stubbs'
affairs, which had never got into the papers and which he himself only
knew of by personal communication. They could still be made to believe
in the wealth of his late son-in-law; and by his continued deference
towards Godfrey's memory and Godfrey's widow, he would still be envied
and applauded for the match whose advantages he had so assiduously
vaunted. It would be intolerable to have the truth known, wherefore the
truth should not be known.

"She must understand to hold her tongue, and do you all of you hold
yours," he ordered. "No whining, and whispering; no being wheedled out
of confidences by impertinent people who make a show of sympathy, while
in reality there isn't one among 'em who wouldn't lick his lips over
our discomfiture if it were known. What? _That's_ easy enough. She comes
to live with us because she can't live alone; too young and--and
helpless. It wouldn't be a bad tip--that's to say, if people choose to
think that Leonore hasn't the head to manage her money-matters, and that
big investments require a lot of looking after, let 'em. _We_ needn't
enlighten them. Let the poor child have any prestige she can get that
way. After all, what she has or what she hasn't is nobody's business but
her own--and ours; so mind you what I say, I'll have no talk set agoing,
and if I find any of you----" and it was all about to begin again when
Sue interposed:--

"Of course we shall say nothing to vex you, father".

"_You_ won't, I daresay, but," and he threw a glance at the other two,
"those feather-brained creatures----"

"Oh, we're all right." Sybil nodded gaily. "We don't want to give the
show away any more than you do. And it will be rather fun to mystify the
neighbourhood, and have the men co