what
can I do?"

What, indeed? Lawrence, recalling Val's warning, subdued a curse
or a groan. "A house full of the materials for an explosion."
And he had lived in that house--blind fool!--week after week
and had noticed nothing! "Why--why did no one warn me before?"
he stammered. "My poor Laura! Why didn't you send me away?"

"But if it hadn't been you it would have been someone else!" said
Mrs. Clowes simply. "At one time it was Val: then it was Dr.
Verney's junior partner, who attended me for influenza while Dr.
Verney was away: and once it was a young chauffeur we had, who
happened to be a University man. I did get rid of him, because
he found out, and that made everything so awkward. But I
couldn't get rid of Val, and in many ways I was most unwilling to
let you go,--you did him so much good. But I'd made up my mind
to turn you out: Yvonne was at me--" she paused--"yes, it
really was only yesterday! I promised her to speak to you this
morning. Well, I've done it!"

"Did you explain to Bernard that Selincourt and Isabel were with
us all the time?"

"He talked me down."

"He must be made to listen to reason."

"He won't: not yet. Later, perhaps, but not in time to save the
situation. Never mind, you're not married, and if he does
divorce me people will only say 'Another Selincourt gone wrong.'"
A dreary and rather cynical gleam of humour played over Laura's
lips. "I'm sorry mainly for Yvonne, Jack's people are so
particular; they hated the marriage, and now, when she's lived it
all down and made them fond of her, I must needs go and
compromise myself and drag our wretched family into the mud
again!"

"Good heavens! he can't propose to divorce you?"

"He said he would."

Bit by bit it was all coming out, the cruel and sordid drama
played before an audience of housemaids, as one admission led to
another and her strength revived for the ordeal. Lawrence
shuddered and sat silent, trying to gauge the extent of the
mischief. "What can I do?" said Laura. She looked down at
herself and blushed again. "I do feel so--so disreputable in
these clothes. I haven't even been able to wash my face and hands
or tidy my hair since I left the hotel."

"Have you been wandering about in the drive all this time?"

"I suppose so. I was afraid to go into the road in such a
pickle."

"These infernal clothes!" Lawrence burst out exasperated. Their
wretched plight was reduced to farce by the fact that the