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make Mummy cry?—He’s with her down there’ now.

Monica felt her blood stand still. With her down there now: and Hester was crying.

‘Well, you see,’ she said, finding calm words among blazing thoughts, ‘Captain Ingpen and Mummy are old friends and old friends often have sad things to talk of.—If I were you, darling’—she was thinking intently and while she thought she still stroked Robin’s hair and looked into his eyes, ‘I would run back home now and go quietly into the nursery, and wait for Mummy there. She would not like to think of you wandering about like this.’ ‘But I'm not wandering. I'm with you,’ said Robin.

What truth was this, uttered by the innocent lips? With her. Her arm held him more closely, while her blazing thoughts paused and scorched her and her mind, so girlish still, so inexperienced, shrank from the visions that Robin’s words had set before her. She rose to her feet involuntarily and keeping Robin’s hand stood gazing down at the fading October day. Hester had no right to Robin.

‘Darling, I think you had better come back with me,’ she said. ‘Mummy is busy with her friend and Daddy would rather you were with me, I feel sure.