“It is possible, for it is true,” said Julia.  She had not let her voice rise above its low, angry key, and now it sank nearly to a whisper, as she glanced round at the door.  “They have understood each other these four weeks.  You may call it an engagement, for it is one; and I never suspected them, not for a moment!  He came down to my house to be comforted, he said:  his house was so dreary now.  And I was as blind as a mole.  I shall never forgive myself, dear Martin.  I knew he was given to all that kind of thing, but then he seemed to mourn for my poor aunt so deeply, and was so heart-broken.  He made ten times more show of it than you did.  I have heard people say you bore it very well, and were quite unmoved, but I knew better.  Everybody said he could never get over it.  Couldn’t you take out a commission of lunacy against him?  He must be mad to think of such a thing.”

“How did you find it out?” I inquired.

“Oh, I was so ashamed!” she said.  “You see I had not the faintest shadow of a suspicion.  I had left them in the drawing-room to go up-stairs, and I thought of something I wanted, and went back suddenly, and there they were—­his arm around her waist, and her head on his shoulder—­he with his gray hairs too!  She says she is the same age as me, but she is forty if she is a day.  The simpletons!  I did not know what to say, or how to look.  I could not get out of the room again as if I had not seen, for I cried ‘Oh!’ at the first sight of them.  Then I stood staring at them; but I think they felt as uncomfortable as I did.”

“What did they say?” I asked, sternly.

“Oh, he came up to me quite in his dramatic way, you know, trying to carry it off by looking grand and majestic; and he was going to take my hand and lead me to her, but I would not stir a step.  ‘My love,’ he said, ‘I am about to steal your friend from you.’  ’She is no friend of mine,’ I said, ’if she is going to be what all this intimates, I suppose.  I will never speak to her or you again, Dr. Dobree.’  Upon that he began to weep, and protest, and declaim, while she sat still and glared at me.  I never thought her eyes could look like that.  ’When do you mean to be married?’ I asked, for he made no secret of his intention to make her his wife.  ‘What is the good of waiting?’ he said, ’My home is miserable with no woman in it.’  ‘Uncle,’ I said, ’if you will promise me to give up the idea of a second marriage, which is ridiculous at your age, I will come back to you, in spite of all the awkwardness of my position with regard to Martin.  For my aunt’s sake I will come back.’  Even an arrangement like this would be better than his marriage with that woman—­don’t you think so?”

“A hundred times better,” I said, warmly.  “It was very good of you, Julia.  But he would not agree to that, would he?”

“He wouldn’t hear of it.  He swore that Kate was as dear to him as ever my poor aunt was.  He vowed he could not live without her and her companionship.  He maintained that his age did not make it ridiculous.  Kate hid her brazen face in her hands, and sobbed aloud.