It was all clear to her now, so clear that she could never shut her eyes to it again.  All her life long she must carry it in her heart, and no one must ever know.  Sleeping and waking, she must keep it safely hidden.  She must go on living a lie all her life, all her life.

She flung out her arms with a sudden gesture of fierce rebellion.  Oh, why had she married?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Had she not always known in her heart that she was making a terrible, an irrevocable, mistake?  How was it she had been so blind?  Why had there been no one to warn her of the snare into which she was walking?  Why had no hand held her back?

Trevor himself—­but no, Trevor did not so much as know that she had left her childhood behind her yet.  He was still wondering what childish peccadillo was troubling her, keeping her from accepting his gift.  At least, he was very far from suspecting her actual reason; nor must he ever suspect.

Never, as long as they lived, must he know that she had refused the first thing of value that he had offered her since their wedding because in an instant of overwhelming revelation she had just recognized the fact that she loved—­had loved for years—­another man.

PART III

CHAPTER I

WAR

Two days before that on which Aunt Philippa had decided to take her departure Mordaunt went again to town.  Noel, whose holidays were drawing to a close, accompanied him to the station in a state of high jubilation, albeit Holmes was in charge of the motor and there was not the faintest chance of his being allowed to take the wheel.

“I hope you’re going to behave yourself,” were Mordaunt’s last words.

And the youngster’s cheery grin and impudent “You bet, old chap!” ought to have warned him not to hope for behaviour too exemplary.

Noel, in fact, had been anticipating his brother-in-law’s departure with considerable eagerness.  Though he liked him thoroughly, he was an undoubted check upon his enjoyment.  He kept him within bounds after a fashion which had at first amused but had of late begun somewhat to pall upon him; and Noel was only awaiting a suitable opportunity to kick over the traces and gallop free.  On this occasion Mordaunt had decided to spend the night in town, so circumstances were propitious.

As for Mordaunt, he had dismissed Noel from his mind almost before the train was out of the station.  But for her aunt’s presence, he would have persuaded Chris to go with him, even though he knew that she had not the smallest wish to do so.  He was growing very anxious with regard to her, and he was firmly determined that she should have a change of scene as soon as Noel’s holidays and Aunt Philippa’s protracted stay came to an end.  It was not that she seemed ill, but she was very far from being herself, and there were times when he even fancied that she