ld you the essential truth. Must I go into particulars? I
can't bear to speak of these things!"

"No! No!" he said, horrified. "It's not that. I don't want to hear any
more."

"Then you'll help me?"

"I will take you to him."

She began to cry in a pitiful shaken way.

"Ah, don't!" murmured Stonor. "I can't stand seeing you."

"It's--just from relief," she whispered.... "I've been under a
strain.... I think I should have gone out of my mind--if I had been
prevented from expiating the wrong I did.... I wish I could tell
you--he's the bravest man in the world, I think--and the most
unhappy!... And I heaped unhappiness on his head!"

This was hard for Stonor to listen to, but it was so obviously a relief
to her to speak, that he made no attempt to stop her.

She soon quieted down. "I shan't try to thank you," she said. "I'll show
you."

Stonor foresaw that the proposed journey would be attended with
difficulties.

"Would it be possible," she asked meekly, "for you to plan to leave a
day in advance of the steamboat, and say nothing about taking me?"

"You mean for us to leave the post secretly?" he said, a little aghast.

"When the truth came out it would be all right," she urged. "And it
would save me from becoming the object of general talk and commiseration
here. Why, if Mr. Gaviller knew in advance, he'd probably insist on
sending a regular expedition."

"Perhaps he would."

"And they'd all try to dissuade me. I'd have to talk them over one by
one--I haven't the strength of mind left for that. They'd say I ought to
wait here and send for him----"

"Well, wouldn't that be better?"

"No! No! Not the same thing at all. I doubt if he'd come. And what would
I be doing here--waiting--without news. I couldn't endure it. I must go
to him."

Stonor thought hard. Youth was pulling him one way, and his sense of
responsibility the other. Moreover, this kind of case was not provided
for in regulations. Finally he said:

"Couldn't you announce your intention of remaining over for one trip of
the steamboat? Miss Pringle would be glad to have you, I'm sure."

"I could do that. But you're not going to delay the start?"

"We can leave the day after the boat goes, as planned. But if we were
missed before the boat left she'd carry out some great scandalous tale
that we might never be able to correct. For if scandal gets a big enough
start you can never overtake it."

"You are right, of course. I never thought of