He stopped abruptly.  He was gripping the high mantelpiece with both hands.  Every bone of them stood out distinctly, and the veins shone purple in the lamplight.  His head was bowed forward upon his chest.  He was fighting fiercely with that demon of unfettered violence to which he had yielded such complete allegiance all his life.

Minutes passed.  He dared not turn his head to look but he knew that she had not gone.  He waited dumbly, still forcing back the evil impulse that tore at his heart.  But the tension became at last intolerable, and slowly, still gripping himself with all his waning strength, he stood up and turned.

She was standing close to him.  The repugnance had all gone out of her face.  It held only the tenderness of a great compassion.

As he stared at her dumbfounded, she held out her hands to him.

“Geoffrey,” she said, “if you wish it, I will come back to you.”

He stared at her, still wide-eyed and mute, as though a spell were upon him.

“Won’t you have me, Geoffrey?” she said, a faint quiver in her voice.

He seized her hands then, seized them, and drew her to him, bowing his head down upon her shoulder with a great sob.

“Naomi, Naomi,” he whispered huskily, “I will be good to you, my darling—­so help me, God!”

Her own eyes were full of tears.  She yielded herself to him without a word.

IX

“Can I come in a moment, Reggie?”

Gwen’s bright face peered round the door at him as he sat at the writing-table in his room, with his head upon his hand.  He looked up at her.

“Yes, come in, child!  What is it?”

She entered eagerly and went to him.

“Are you busy, dear old boy?  It is horrid that you should be going away so soon.  I only wanted just to tell you something that the dear old Admiral has just told me.”

She sat down in her favourite position on the arm of his chair, her arm about his neck.  Her eyes were shining.  Carey looked up at her.

“Well?” he said.  “Has he plucked up courage at last to ask for what he wants?”

“Yes; he actually has.”  There was a purr of content in Gwen’s voice.  “And it’s quite all right, Reggie.  Mummy has said ‘yes,’ as I knew she would, directly I told her about Major Coningsby finding his wife again.  All she said to that was:  ’Dear me!  How annoying for poor Major Coningsby!’ I thought it was horrid of her to say that, but I didn’t say so, for I wanted it all to come quite casually.  And after that I wrote to Charlie, and he told the Admiral.  And he came straight over only this morning and asked her.  He’s been telling me all about it, and he’s so awfully happy!  He says he was a big fool not to ask her long ago in the summer.  For what do you think she said, Reggie, when he told her that he’d been wanting to marry her for ever so long, but couldn’t be quite sure how she felt about it?  Why, she said, with that funny little laugh of hers—­you know her way—­’My dear Admiral, I was only waiting to be asked.’  The dear old man nearly cried when he told me.  And I kissed him.  And he and Charlie are coming over to dine this evening.  So we can all be happy together.”