ur sister's sake." But her eyes had said: "Do it for mine." Never had
such a light shone in those beautiful eyes for Roger; never would it so
shine for him; and he knew it well, with a dull, miserable sickening of
the heart, which was like a pinch from the hand of Death.

In a moment the whole face of the world had changed for him. He was a
man of honour, and he would go on along the path which he had traced out
for himself; but the wish to succeed in his task for the sake of success
was murdered by that sweet light in a girl's eyes. Something coldly
calculating said to Roger Broom that it would be a good thing for him if
Maxime failed to come to the rendezvous, on that night or any other
night; or, if, in case he came, he should be retaken. Should this happen,
Virginia's implied promise need not hold good, but Roger thought he knew
her generous heart well enough to be certain that she would in the end
reward him for what he had tried to do, even though--not through his
fault--the fight had been in vain. On the other hand, if he and George
succeeded in saving Dalahaide, in bringing Dalahaide to Virginia--but
Roger would not quite finish that thought in his mind. Resolutely he
turned his back upon it, yet it grinned an evil, skeleton grin over his
shoulder, and he could not make his ears deaf to the whisper that though
he could and would hold Virginia to the keeping of her bargain, her
heart would always have a holy of holies shut away from him.

Roger hated the cold Voice that explained his heart to his head, and he
did his best not to listen. But all he could compass was not to let
himself be guided by its promptings. If he had desired Dalahaide's escape
as whole-heartedly as before, he could have worked for it no harder than
he did; still, he experienced no warmth of gladness at sight of the dark
figure silhouetted for an instant against a moonlit haze. Trent was not
close to him in the launch, and yet somehow he felt the thrill of joyous
relief which shot through the younger man's body at the signal, and
envied it. But all was different with George; he could afford to be
single-minded. Roger knew very well that George was in love with
Madeleine Dalahaide, and that there was nothing he would not sacrifice
for the happiness of giving her back her brother.

As Roger Broom wrestled with his own black thoughts, the launch, which
had hitherto slipped swiftly toward its goal, dividing the rushes and
reeds of the lagoon, re