"No!" she cried. "It is not your affair. Let me deal with him!"

He shook his head.

"It is no matter," he said, "for a woman to interfere in."

"He will not listen to you," she continued eagerly. "He will tell you
that it is not your concern."

"It is the concern of every honest man," he interrupted. "You must
please let me go!"

She was holding his arm, and she refused to withdraw her fingers. Then
Mrs. Foulton intervened.

She had smoothed her hair and was carrying a tea-tray. They both looked
at her as though fascinated.

"I hope I have not kept you waiting, madam," she said quietly. "I had to
send Ruth up for the cream. The boy's at Loughborough market, and I'm a
bit shorthanded."

"I--oh! I'm sorry you bothered about the tea, Mrs. Foulton," Wilhelmina
said, with an effort. "But how good it looks! Come, Mr. Macheson! I
don't know whether you've had any lunch, but I haven't. I'm perfectly
ravenous."

"I've some sandwiches in my pocket," Macheson answered, moving slowly to
the table, "but to tell you the truth, I'd forgotten them."

She drew off her gloves and seated herself before the teapot. All the
time her eyes were fixed upon Macheson. She was feverishly anxious to
have him also seat himself, and he could scarcely look away from the
woman who, with a face like a mask, was calmly arranging the things from
the tray upon the table. When she left the room he drew a little breath.

"Do they feel--really, these people," he asked, "or are they Stoics?"

"We feel through our nerves," she answered, "and they haven't many. Is
that too much cream?--and pass the strawberry jam, please."

He ate and drank mechanically. The charm of this simple meal alone with
her was gone--it seemed to him that there was tragedy in the arrangement
of the table. She talked to him lightly, and he answered--what he
scarcely knew. Suddenly he interposed a question.

"When did this girl Letty leave home?" he asked.

"I am not sure," she answered. "We will ask Mrs. Foulton."

Mrs. Foulton came silently in.

"We want to know, Mrs. Foulton, when Letty went away," Wilhelmina asked.

"A week ago to-morrow, madam," Mrs. Foulton answered. "Is there anything
else you will be wanting?"

"Nothing, thank you," Wilhelmina answered, and then, seeing that the
woman lingered, she continued:

"Are you wanting to get rid of us?"

The woman hesitated.

"It isn't that, madam," she said, "but I'm wanting to step out as soon
as possible.