the cruel words that must be spoken.

At last the Baronet mastered himself enough to say, 'I'm very weak,
Maynard--God help me! I didn't think anything would unman me in this way;
but I'd built everything on that lad. Perhaps I've been wrong in not
forgiving my sister. She lost one of _her_ sons a little while ago. I've
been too proud and obstinate.'

'We can hardly learn humility and tenderness enough except by suffering,'
said Maynard; 'and God sees we are in need of suffering, for it is
falling more and more heavily on us. We have a new trouble this morning.'

'Tina?' said Sir Christopher, looking up anxiously--'is Tina ill?'

'I am in dreadful uncertainty about her. She was very much agitated
yesterday--and with her delicate health--I am afraid to think what turn
the agitation may have taken.'

'Is she delirious, poor dear little one?'

'God only knows how she is. We are unable to find her. When Mrs. Sharp
went up to her room this morning, it was empty. She had not been in bed.
Her hat and cloak were gone. I have had search made for her
everywhere--in the house and garden, in the park, and--in the water. No
one has seen her since Martha went up to light her fire at seven o'clock
in the evening.'

While Mr. Gilfil was speaking, Sir Christopher's eyes, which were eagerly
turned on him, recovered some of their old keenness, and some sudden
painful emotion, as at a new thought, flitted rapidly across his already
agitated face, like the shadow of a dark cloud over the waves. When the
pause came, he laid his hand on Mr. Gilfil's arm, and said in a lower
voice,--'Maynard, did that poor thing love Anthony?'

'She did.'

Maynard hesitated after these words, struggling between his reluctance to
inflict a yet deeper wound on Sir Christopher, and his determination that
no injustice should be done to Caterina. Sir Christopher's eyes were
still fixed on him in solemn inquiry, and his own sunk towards the
ground, while he tried to find the words that would tell the truth least
cruelly.

'You must not have any wrong thoughts about Tina,' he said at length. 'I
must tell you now, for her sake, what nothing but this should ever have
caused to pass my lips. Captain Wybrow won her affections by attentions
which, in his position, he was bound not to show her. Before his marriage
was talked of, he had behaved to her like a lover.'

Sir Christopher relaxed his hold of Maynard's arm, and looked away from
him. He was silent for