nd Mrs. Fielding weeping
unrestrainedly. She bent over her, discarding all ceremony. "My dear
girl, do stop!" she said. "What on earth is the matter? You won't get
over it all day if you go on like this."

"Of course I shan't get over it!" sobbed Mrs. Fielding indignantly. "I
never do. He knows that perfectly well. He knows--that when once I'm
down--it takes me days--weeks--to get up again."

"Oh, dear!" said Juliet. "It's a quarrel, is it?"

Mrs. Fielding raised herself with a furious movement and thrust out a
white arm on which the bruises of a fierce grip were mercilessly defined.
"That's how--he--quarrels!" she said bitterly.

Juliet drew down the loose night-dress sleeve with a gentle but very
decided hand. "Don't let anyone else see it!" she said. "And don't tell
me any more unless you're sure--quite sure--you want me to know!"

"Why shouldn't you know?" said Mrs. Fielding pettishly through her
falling tears. "It's your fault in a way. At least it wouldn't have
happened if you hadn't been here--you and that horrid little cad of a
schoolmaster."

"Oh, don't put it like that!" said Juliet. "It's such a pity to offend
everybody at once. You really mustn't cry any more or you'll be ill. I'm
sure it isn't worth that."

"I don't care if I die!" cried Mrs. Fielding, with a fresh burst of
weeping. "I'm miserable--miserable! And nobody cares."

She flung herself down upon the pillow in such a paroxysm of hysterical
sobbing that Juliet actually was alarmed. She stood beside her, impotent,
unable to make herself heard, and wondering what to do. She had never
before looked upon such an abandonment of distress as she now beheld,
and since Mrs. Fielding was obviously beyond all reasoning or consolation
she was powerless to cope with it. She could only stand and wait for the
storm to spend itself.

It seemed, however, to increase rather than to abate, and she was
beginning to contemplate recalling Cox to her assistance when to her
astonishment the door suddenly opened, and Fielding himself appeared upon
the threshold.

She turned sharply, her first impulse to keep him out, for he wore an
ugly look. But in a moment she realized that the direction of affairs was
not in her control. He came straight forward with a mastery that would
brook no interference.

"Leave her to me!" he said, as he reached Juliet.

But at the first word his wife uttered so wild a shriek of alarm that
Juliet turned back to her with the swift i