‘That is not probable.  Nothing can have happened to her.’

‘Look and see.  Be quick!’

Hubert opened the letter, and he had not read three lines when Julia’s face caught expression from his, which had become overcast.

’It is bad news, I know.  Something has happened.  What is it?  Don’t keep me waiting.  The suspense is worse than the truth.’

‘It is very awful, Julia.  Don’t give way.’

’Tell me what it is.  Is she dead?

‘Yes; she is dead.’  Julia got up from her husband’s knees and stood by the mantelpiece, leaning upon it.  ‘It is more than mere death.’

‘What do you mean?  She killed herself—­is that it?’

‘Yes; she drowned herself the night before last in the lake.’

’Oh, it is too horrible!  Then we have murdered her.  Our unpardonable selfishness!  I cannot bear it!’ Her eyes closed and her lips trembled.  Hubert caught her in his arms, laid her on the chair, and, fetching some water in a tumbler, sprinkled her face; then he held it to her lips; she drank a little, and revived.  ’I’m not going to faint.  Tell me—­tell me when the unfortunate child——­’

’They don’t know exactly.  She was in the drawing-room at tea-time, and the drawing-room was empty when Black went round three-quarters of an hour after to lock up.  He thought she had gone to her room.  It was the gardener who brought in the news in the morning about nine.’

‘Oh, good God!’

’Black says he noticed that she looked very depressed the day before, but he thought she was looking better when he brought in the tea.’

’It was then she got my letter.  Does Black say anything about giving her a letter?’

‘Yes, that is to say——­’

‘I knew it!  I knew it!’ said Julia; and her eyes were wild with grief, and she rocked herself to and fro.  ’It was that letter that drove her to it.  It was most ill-advised.  I told you so.  You should have written.  She would have borne the news better had it come from you.  My instinct told me so, but I let myself be persuaded.  I told you how it would happen.  I told you.  You can’t say I didn’t.  Oh! why did you persuade me—­why—­why—­why?’

’Julia dear, we are not responsible.  We were in nowise bound to sacrifice our happiness to her——­’

’Don’t say a word!  I say we were bound.  Life can never be the same to me again.’

Hubert did not answer.  Nothing he could say would be of the slightest avail, and he feared to say anything that might draw from her expressions which she would afterwards regret.  He had never seen her moved like this, nor did he believe her capable of such agitation, and the contrast of her present with her usual demeanour made it the more impressive.

‘Oh,’ she said, leaning forward and looking at him fixedly, ’take this nightmare off my brain, or I shall go mad!  It isn’t true; it cannot be true.  But—­oh! yes, it’s true enough.’