t of me. I
am lost in a labyrinth of virtue, and horribly--most horribly--sick of
it. I nearly broke through once, but the wreck pulled me up, and when I
recovered from that, I was more hopelessly lost than before."

"So you are not enjoying it either!" remarked Larpent, with the glimmer
of a smile. "But you don't seem to have let her down very far."

Saltash brought his foot down with a bang. "I swore I'd keep her with me.
I meant--oh, God knows what I meant to do. I didn't do it anyway. I broke
my oath and I made her go, and she never uttered a word of reproach--not
one word! Do you think I'll let her ruin herself by marrying me after
that? Like Jonah's whale I've managed to throw her up on to dry land, and
if she gets swamped again, it won't be my fault."

He began to laugh again suddenly and cynically--the bitter laugh of a man
who hides his soul; and Larpent leaned back in his chair again, as if he
recognized that the discussion was over.

"I don't suppose anyone will blame you for it," he said.

"No one will have the chance," said Saltash.

CHAPTER II

THE COMPACT

The polo-ground at Fairharbour was reckoned as one of the greatest
attractions the town possessed. Because of it, and the Graydown
race-course an ever-increasing stream of visitors poured yearly into the
town and its neighbourhood, and very fashionable crowds were wont to
gather during the summer season at the various hotels which had sprung up
during recent years for their accommodation.

The old Anchor Hotel facing the shore had been bought by a syndicate and
rebuilt and was now a very modern erection indeed. It boasted a large
lounge, palm-decked and glass-covered, in which a string band played for
several hours of the day, and the constant swing of its doors testified
to the great popularity to which it had attained since its renovation.

To Bunny, who had known the place under very different circumstances in
his boyhood, it was always a source of amusement to drop in and mark
progress. The polo-ground was only a few yards away, and he had become an
ardent member of the Club to which he almost invariably devoted two
afternoons of the week.

He was a promising player, and his keenness made him a favourite. He rode
Lord Saltash's ponies, Saltash himself very seldom putting in an
appearance. He was wont to declare that he had no time for games, and his
frequent absences made it impossible for him to take a very active part
in the p