ng so entirely nice and well-behaved even in her
agitation.

"If I were not so puzzled, or if there was _anybody_--" she said. "If
you could only advise me; I must--I _must_ keep safe."

"There is something you want to tell me?" he said quietly.

"Yes," she answered. "I am so anxious, and I am sure it must be bad for
one to be anxious always. I have not dared to tell anyone. My name is
not Mrs. Jameson, Dr. Warren. I am--I am Lady Walderhurst."

He barely managed to restrain a start. He was obliged to admit to
himself that he had not thought of anything like this. But Mary had been
right.

Emily blushed to her ears with embarrassment. He did not believe her.

"But I _am_ really," she protested. "I _really_ am. I was married last
year. I was Emily Fox-Seton. Perhaps you remember."

She was not flighty or indignant. Her frank face was only a little more
troubled than it had been before. She looked straight into his eyes
without a doubt of his presently believing her. Good heavens! if--

She walked to the writing-table and picked up a number of letters. They
were all stamped with the same seal. She brought them to him almost
composedly.

"I ought to have remembered how strange it would sound," she said in her
amenable voice. "I hope I am not doing wrong in speaking. I hope you
won't mind my troubling you. It seemed as if I _couldn't_ bear it alone
any longer."

After which she told him her story.

* * * * *

The unadorned straightforwardness of the relation made it an amazing
thing to hear, even more amazing than it would have been made by a more
imaginative handling. Her obvious inability to cope with the unusual and
villainous, combined with her entire willingness to obliterate herself
in any manner in her whole-souled tenderness for the one present object
of her existence, were things a man could not be unmoved by, even though
experience led him to smile at the lack of knowledge of the world which
had left her without practical defence. Her very humbleness and candour
made her a drama in herself.

"Perhaps I was wrong to run away. Perhaps only a silly woman would have
done such a queer, unconventional thing. But I could think of nothing
else so likely to be quite safe, until Lord Walderhurst could advise me.
And when his letter came yesterday, and he did not speak of what I had
said--" Her voice quite failed her.

"Captain Osborn has detained your letter. Lord Walderhurst