sharply for a moment. "You know
that I object to lines, Clare. They are dangerous things." He implied
that he was above them. "Of course there are times when it is
necessary to--well, to be decisive; but at present it seems to me that
we must wait for the situation to develop--it will, of course."

"I knew that you would say that," she said impatiently. "But it won't
do; the situation _has_ developed. You always preferred to look on--it
is, as you say, less dangerous; but here I must have your help. Harry
has been back a week; he is, for you and me, unchanged. The situation,
as far as we go, is the same as it was twenty years ago. He is not one
of us, he never was, and, to do him justice, never pretended to be.
We, or at any rate I, imagined that he would be different now, after
all that time. He is exactly the same." She paused.

"Well?" he said. "All that for granted, it's true enough. What's the
trouble?"

"Things aren't the same though, now. There is father, and Robin.
Father has taken to Harry strongly. He told me so just now. And for
Robin----"

"Scarcely captivated," said Garrett drily. "Have you seen them
together? Hardly domestic----"

Then he looked at her again and laughed. "And that pleases you, Clare."

"Of course," she answered him firmly. "There is no good in hedging.
He is no brother of ours, Garrett. He is, what is more important
still, no Trojan, and after all family counts for something. We don't
like him, Garrett. Why be sentimental about it? He will follow
father--and it will be soon--_apres, le deluge_. For ourselves, it
does not matter. It is hard, of course, but we have had our time, and
there are other things and places. It is about Robin. I cannot bear
to think what it would mean if he were alone here with Harry, after all
these years."

"He would not stay."

"You think that?" Clare said eagerly. "It is so hard to know. He is
still only a boy. Of course Harry shocks him now, shocks
everything--his sense of decency, his culture, his pride--but that will
wear off; he will get used to it--and then----"

It had been inevitable that the discussion should come, and Garrett had
been waiting. He had no intention of going to find her, he would wait
until she came to him, but he had been anxious to know her opinion.
For himself the possibility of Harry's return had never presented
itself. After all those years he would surely remain where he was. In
yielding