g at Diana Mallory's table that day; of that
he was morally certain. Therefore, they had not happened.

He returned with a redoubled tenderness of feeling to his conversation
with Diana. He had come to Overton for the Sunday, at great professional
inconvenience, for nothing in the world but that he must pay this visit
to Beechcote; and he had approached the house with dread--dread lest he
should find a face stricken with the truth. That dread was momentarily
lifted, for in those beautiful dark eyes of Diana innocence and
ignorance were still written; but none the less he trembled for her; he
saw her as he had seen her at Tallyn, a creature doomed, and consecrate
to pain. Why, in the name of justice and pity, had her father done this
thing? So it is that a man's love, for lack of a little simple courage
and common-sense, turns to cruelty.

Poor, poor child!--At first sight he, like the Roughsedges, had thought
her pale and depressed. Then he had given his message. "Marsham has
arrived!--turned up at Overton a couple of hours ago--and told us to say
he would follow us here after luncheon. He wired to Lady Felton this
morning to ask if she would take him in for the Sunday. Some big
political meeting he had for to-night is off. Lady Lucy stays in
town--and Tallyn is shut up. But Lady Felton was, of course, delighted
to get him. He arrived about noon. Civility to his hostess kept him to
luncheon--then he pursues us!"

Since then!--no lack of sparkle in the eyes or color in the cheek! Yet
even so, to Sir James's keen sense, there was an increase, a sharpening,
in Diana's personality, of the wistful, appealing note, which had been
always touching, always perceptible, even through the radiant days of
her Tallyn visit.

Ah, well!--like Dr. Roughsedge, only with a far deeper urgency, he, too,
for want of any better plan, invoked the coming lover. In God's name,
let Marsham take the thing into his own hands!--stand on his own
feet!--dissipate a nightmare which ought never to have arisen--and
gather the girl to his heart.

* * * * *

Meanwhile Fanny's attention--and the surging anger of her thoughts--were
more and more directed upon the girl with the fair hair opposite. A
natural bond of sympathy seemed somehow to have arisen between her and
this Miss Drake--Diana's victim. Alicia Drake, looking up, was
astonished, time after time, to find herself stared at by the
common-looking young woman acr