‘And you say you never keep a secret!’

The delicious ripple was in Lady Maud’s sweet voice as she spoke.  Perhaps it came a little in spite of herself, and she would certainly have controlled her tone if she had thought of Leven just then.  But she was a very natural creature, after all, and she could not and would not pretend to be sorry that he was dead, though the manner of his end had seemed horrible to her when she had been able to think over the news, after Van Torp had got safely away.  So far there had only been three big things in her life:  her love for a man who was dead, her tremendous determination to do some real good for his memory’s sake, and her deep gratitude to Van Torp, who had made that good possible, and who, strangely enough, seemed to her the only living person who really understood her and liked her for her own sake, without the least idea of making love.  And she saw in him what few suspected, except little Ida and Miss More—­the real humanity and faithful kindness that dwelt in the terribly hard and coarse-grained fighting financier.  Lady Maud had her faults, no doubt, but she was too big, morally, to be disturbed by what seemed to Margaret Donne an intolerable vulgarity of manner and speech.

As for Margaret, she now felt that painful little remorse that hurts us when we realise that we have suspected an innocent person of something dreadful, even though we may have contributed to the ultimate triumph of the truth.  Van Torp unconsciously deposited a coal of fire on her head.

’I’d just like to say how much I appreciate your kindness in singing last night, Madame da Cordova,’ he said.  ’From what you knew and told me on the steamer, you might have had a reasonable doubt, and I couldn’t very well explain it away before.  I wish you’d some day tell me what I can do for you.  I’m grateful, honestly.’

Margaret saw that he was much in earnest, and as she felt that she had done him great injustice, she held out her hand with a frank smile.

‘I’m glad I was able to be of use,’ she said.  ’Come and see me in town.’

‘Really?  You won’t throw me out if I do?’

Margaret laughed.

‘No, I won’t throw you out!’

‘Then I’ll come some day.  Thank you.’

Van Torp had long given up all hope that she would ever marry him, but it was something to be on good terms with her again, and for the sake of that alone he would have risked a good deal.

The four paired off, and Lady Maud walked in front with Van Torp, while Margaret and Logotheti followed more slowly; so the couples did not long keep near one another, and in less than five minutes they lost each other altogether among the trees.

Margaret had noticed something very unusual in the Greek’s appearance when they had met half an hour earlier, and she had been amazed when she realised that he wore no jewellery, no ruby, no emeralds, no diamonds, no elaborate chain, and that his tie was neither green, yellow, sky-blue, nor scarlet, but of a soft dove grey which she liked very much.  The change was so surprising that she had been on the point of asking him whether anything dreadful had happened; but just then Lady Maud had come up with them.