Eve asked many questions, and approved his resolve.

“You are not the person to console and instruct her.  But she must look upon you as the best and wisest of men.  I can understand that.”

“You can understand poor, foolish Emily thinking so——­”

“Put all the meaning you like into my words,” said Eve, with her pleasantest smile.  “Well, I too have had a letter.  From Patty.  She isn’t going to be married, after all.”

“Why, I thought it was over by now.”

“She broke it off less than a week before the day.  I wish I could show you her letter, but, of course, I mustn’t.  It’s very amusing.  They had quarrelled about every conceivable thing—­all but one, and this came up at last.  They were talking about meals, and Mr. Dally said that he liked a bloater for breakfast every morning.  ’A bloater!’ cried Patty.  ’Then I hope you won’t ask me to cook it for you.  I can’t bear them.’  ’Oh, very well:  if you can’t cook a bloater, you’re not the wife for me.’  And there they broke off, for good and all.”

“Which means for a month or two, I suppose.”

“Impossible to say.  But I have advised her as strongly as I could not to marry until she knows her own mind better.  It is too bad of her to have gone so far.  The poor man had taken rooms, and all but furnished them.  Patty’s a silly girl, I’m afraid.”

“Wants a strong man to take her in hand—­like a good many other girls.”

Eve paid no attention to the smile.

“Paris spoilt her for such a man as Mr. Dally.  She got all sorts of new ideas, and can’t settle down to the things that satisfied her before.  It isn’t nice to think that perhaps we did her a great deal of harm.”

“Nonsense!  Nobody was ever harmed by healthy enjoyment.”

“Was it healthy—­for her?  That’s the question.”

Hilliard mused, and felt disinclined to discuss the matter.

“That isn’t the only news I have for you,” said Eve presently.  “I’ve had another letter.”

Her voice arrested Hilliard’s step as he paced near her.

“I had rather not have told you anything about it, but I promised.  And I have to give you something.”

She held out to him a ten-pound note.

“What’s this?”

“He has sent it.  He says he shall be able to pay something every three months until he has paid the whole debt.  Please to take it.”

After a short struggle with himself, Hilliard recovered a manly bearing.

“It’s quite right he should return the money, Eve, but you mustn’t ask me to have anything to do with it.  Use it for your own expenses.  I gave it to you, and I can’t take it back.”

She hesitated, her eyes cast down,

“He has written a long letter.  There’s not a word in it I should be afraid to show you.  Will you read it—­just to satisfy me?  Do read it!”

Hilliard steadily refused, with perfect self-command.