esign was still intended, he cast constant glances of cunning
suspicion at Courthope. As for Madge, she appeared grave and
pre-occupied beyond all that was natural to her, suffering, he feared,
from the pain of her first disillusionment. This was a suffering that he
was hardly in a position to take seriously, and yet his heart yearned
over her. He thought also that she was pondering over the problem of
her next responsibility, and the evidence of this came sooner than he
had expected.

When they got to the place where his first track diverged straight to
the shed, she and Morin stopped to exchange remarks; they evidently
perceived in this the clearest evidence of all against him. Had he not
gone straight to the place where the accomplice had agreed to wait? Then
Madge fell back a little to where he was now plodding in the rear. She
accosted him in the soft tones that had from the first so charmed him,
contrasting with her sister's voice as the tones of a reed-pipe contrast
with those from metal, or as the full voice of the cuckoo with the
shrill chirp of the sparrow. The soft voice was very serious, the manner
more than sedate, the words studied.

'I am afraid that nothing that I can say will persuade you to alter a
way of life which you seem to have chosen, but it seems to me very sad
that one of your ability should so degrade himself.'

She stopped with a little gasp for breath, as if frightened at her own
audacity. Her manner and phrases were an evident imitation of the way in
which she had heard advice bestowed upon vagrant or criminal by the
benevolent judge whose memory she so tenderly cherished. It was second
nature to her to act as she fancied he would have acted. Courthope
composed himself to receive the judicial admonition with becoming
humility; his whole sympathy was with her, his mind was aglow with the
quaint humour of it.

'You must know,' rebuked Madge, 'how very wrong it is; and it is not
possible that you could have difficulty in getting some honest
employment.'

'It is very kind of you to interest yourself in me.' He kept his eyes
upon the ground.

'I do not know, of course, what led you to begin a life of crime, or in
what way you found out what houses in this country were worth robbing,
but I fear you must have led a wicked life for a long time' (she was
very severe now). 'You are young yet; why should you carry on your
nefarious schemes in a new country, where, if you would, you could
easil