[She stops from the over-quivering of her lips.  Jill, standing
     beside the chair, strokes her shoulder.  Hillcrist stands very
     still, painfully biting at a finger.]

You see, my father went bankrupt, and I was in a shop——­

Hillcrist. [Soothingly, and to prevent disclosures] Yes, yes; Yes, yes!

Chloe.  I never gave a man away or did anything I was ashamed of—­at least—­I mean, I had to make my living in all sorts of ways, and then I met Charlie.

     [Again she stopped from the quivering of her lips.]

Jill.  It’s all right.

Chloe.  He thought I was respectable, and that was such a relief, you can’t think, so—­so I let him.

Jill.  Dodo!  It’s awful

Hillcrist. It is!

Chloe.  And after I married him, you see, I fell in love.  If I had before, perhaps I wouldn’t have dared only, I don’t know—­you never know, do you?  When there’s a straw going, you catch at it.

Jill.  Of course you do.

Chloe.  And now, you see, I’m going to have a child.

Jill. [Aghast] Oh!  Are you?

Hillcrist. Good God!

Chloe. [Dully] I’ve been on hot bricks all this month, ever since that day here.  I knew it was in the wind.  What gets in the wind never gets out. [She rises and throws out her arms] Never!  It just blows here and there [Desolately] and then—­blows home. [Her voice changes to resentment] But I’ve paid for being a fool—­ ’tisn’t fun, that sort of life, I can tell you.  I’m not ashamed and repentant, and all that.  If it wasn’t for him!  I’m afraid he’ll never forgive me; it’s such a disgrace for him—­and then, to have his child!  Being fond of him, I feel it much worse than anything I ever felt, and that’s saying a good bit.  It is.

Jill. [Energetically] Look here!  He simply mustn’t find out.

Chloe.  That’s it; but it’s started, and he’s bound to keep on because he knows there’s something.  A man isn’t going to be satisfied when there’s something he suspects about his wife, Charlie wouldn’t never.  He’s clever, and he’s jealous; and he’s coming here.

     [She stops, and looks round wildly, listening.]

Jill.  Dodo, what can we say to put him clean off the scent?

Hillcrist. Anything—­in reason.

Chloe. [Catching at this straw] You will!  You see, I don’t know what I’ll do.  I’ve got soft, being looked after—­he does love me.  And if he throws me off, I’ll go under—­that’s all.

Hillcrist. Have you any suggestion?

Chloe. [Eagerly] The only thing is to tell him something positive, something he’ll believe, that’s not too bad—­like my having been a lady clerk with those people who came here, and having been dismissed on suspicion of taking money.  I could get him to believe that wasn’t true.