The words dropped unafraid into a perfect silence.  The girl’s manner was as simple, as undramatic, as possible.  Yet, considering who these two were, considering the intentions with which she had entered his Dabney House not ten minutes before, no more startling words could have been devised by the wit of man.

“He never knew,” repeated Vivian, in a voice suddenly mechanical.

No doubt it was by his good fortune alone that he had avoided any alarming change of expression, as he listened to the announcement which seemed to shake and stagger his visible world.  The girl was soaring upon her unimagined moment of spiritual adventure.  But V. Vivian stood like a man turned to stone, gazing blind into a void....

Presently, out of the general chaos the young man’s dazed mind stirred; leapt to life.  Thought shook him through like waves of pain.  It came upon him first, with crushing force, that this sweet-voiced girl with a face like all the angels had after all coldly lied, murderously lied, and maintained her lie through many months.  Hard upon that, blotting it out, there swept the juster knowledge that, no matter what she had done, truth had triumphed at last; what was good in her had overcome her poor weakness.  Lastly, he thought of Jack Dalhousie who, from the clouds, had received his release from prison.  Yes, old Dal could come home now....

“He never knew,” said V.V., in his curious voice.  “I’m so glad ...  This clears him ...  I never understood how he could have ...  I’m so glad to—­have it settled....”

If he was so glad, his face libelled him past forgiveness.  But Cally Heth still soared, too high in the unplumbed blue to note, even now, what house was this she had destroyed.

“I really didn’t realize at all at the time,” she said, with the same simplicity.  “It all happened so quickly, and it was so bewildering, and I didn’t have time to think.  The story about him just seemed to spring up of itself, and then it grew and grew all the time.  I’ve worried a great deal about it, all along....”

A kind of passion came into the man’s face, and he said: 

“Thank God, there’s still time to make it all right.”

Then his look brought her down a little....  “To make it all right?”

Vivian gazed down.  He thought of what lay ahead for her now; and his heart seemed to turn within him....  However, sympathy was not desired of him:  his lot was but to strengthen the hands of the brave.

“Miss Heth—­indeed, I could envy you all the happiness you are going to give.  Think—­just think what it means ...  I know you must be eager—­to begin, to—­”

“To begin?” she echoed again, feeling somehow that their privacy was being invaded.  “Why—­what do you mean?...  I don’t understand.”

“I jump ahead too fast, of course.  But—­you must be so anxious ... to have it all off your mind, and not think of it any more.  I know you must be impatient to get word to Dal at the first possible moment—­it means so much to him.  More than meat and drink....  And then there’s his poor old father ...”