the statements of the young man himself, to which
he was hardly inclined to attach so much importance as she did. If his
main assertion was correct, that he had written to inform Mr. Jewdwine
of the facts, it was a little odd, to say the least of it, that Mr.
Jewdwine made no mention of having received that letter. And that he
had _not_ received it might be fairly inferred from the discrepancy
between young Rickman's exaggerated account of the value and Mr.
Jewdwine's more moderate estimate.

Lucia and Kitty first looked at each other, and then away to opposite
corners of the room. And at that moment Kitty was certain, while Lucia
doubted; for Kitty went by the logic of the evidence and Lucia by the
intuition which was one with her desire. Surely it was more likely
that Rickman had never written to Horace than that Horace should have
failed her, if he knew? Meanwhile the cold legal voice went on to
shatter the last point in Kitty's defence, observing that if Rickman
had not had time to get up to town before his father wrote to Mr.
Pilkington he had had plenty of time to telegraph. He added that the
young man's moral character need not concern them now. Whatever might
be thought of his conduct it was not actionable. And to the legal mind
what was not actionable was irrelevant.

But for Lucia, to whom at the moment material things were unrealities,
the burning question was the honesty or dishonesty of Rickman; for it
involved the loyalty or disloyalty, or rather, the ardour or the
indifference of Horace. If Rickman were cleared of the grosser guilt,
her cousin was, on a certain minor count, condemned; and there could
be no doubt which of the two she was the more anxious to acquit.

"I suppose you'll see him if he calls?" asked Kitty when they were
alone.

"See who?"

"Mr. Savage Keith Rickman." Even in the midst of their misery Kitty
could not forbear a smile.

But for once Lucia was inaccessible to the humour of the name.

"Of course I shall see him," she said gravely.

CHAPTER XXXVI

He called soon after six that evening, coming straight from the
station to the house. Miss Palliser was in the library, but his face
as he entered bore such unmistakable signs of emotion that Kitty in
the kindness of her heart withdrew.

He was alone there, as he had been on that evening of his first
coming. He looked round at the place he had loved so well, and knew
that he was looking at it now for the last time. At h