Nataly sighed:  ’Ah! make what provision we will!  Evil—­Mr. Sowerby has had a great deal to bear.’

‘A worldling may think so.’

Her breast heaved, and the wave burst:  but her restraining of tears froze her speech.

’Victor!  Our Nesta!  Mr. Sowerby is unable to explain.  And how the Miss Duvidneys! . . .  At that Brighton!’—­The voice he heard was not his darling’s deep rich note, it had dropped to toneless hoarseness:  ’She has been permitted to make acquaintance—­she has been seen riding with—­she has called upon—­Oh! it is one of those abandoned women.  In her house!  Our girl!  Our Nesta!  She was insulted by a man in the woman’s house.  She is talked of over Brighton.  The mother!—­the daughter!  And grant me this—­that never was girl more carefully . . . never till she was taken from me.  Oh! do not forget.  You will defend me?  You will say, that her mother did with all her soul strive . . .  It is not a rumour.  Mr. Sowerby has had it confirmed.’  A sob caught her voice.

Victor’s hands caressed to console:  ‘Dudley does not propose to . . ?’

’Nesta must promise . . .  But how it happened?  How!  An acquaintance with—­contact with!—­Oh! cruel!’ Each time she ceased speaking, the wrinkles of a shiver went over her, and the tone was of tears coming, but she locked them in.

‘An accident!’ said Victor; ’some misunderstanding—­there can’t be harm.  Of course, she promises—­hasn’t to promise.  How could a girl distinguish!  He does not cast blame on her?’

’Dear, if you would go down to Dartrey to-morrow.  He knows:—­it is over the Clubs there; he will tell you, before a word to Nesta.  Innocent, yes!  Mr. Sowerby has not to be assured of that.  Ignorant of the character of the dreadful woman?  Ah, if I could ever in anything think her ignorant!  She frightens me.  Mr. Sowerby is indulgent.  He does me justice.  My duty to her—­I must defend myself—­has been my first thought.  I said in my prayers—­she at least! . . .  We have to see the more than common reasons why she, of all girls, should—­he did not hint it, he was delicate:  her name must not be public.’

‘Yes, yes, Dudley is without parallel as a gentleman,’ said Victor.  ’It does not suit me to hear the word “indulgent.”  My dear, if you were down there, you would discover that the talk was the talk of two or three men seeing our girl ride by—­and she did ride with a troop:  why, we’ve watched them along the parade, often.  Clear as day how it happened!  I’ll go down early to-morrow.’

He fancied Nataly was appeased.  And even out of this annoyance, there was the gain of her being won to favour Dudley’s hitherto but tolerated suit.

Nataly also had the fancy, that the calm following on her anguish, was a moderation of it.  She was kept strung to confide in her girl by the recent indebtedness to her for words heavenly in the strengthening comfort they gave.  But no sooner was she alone than her torturing perplexities and her abasement of the hours previous to Victor’s coming returned.