They were opposite each other in the railway carriage.  Malkin leaned forward with earnest, anxious face.

‘That’s my own trouble,’ he whispered.  ’I’m confoundedly uneasy about it.  I don’t think she’s bringing them up at all in a proper way.  Earwaker, I would pay down five thousand pounds for the possibility of taking Bella away altogether.’

The other mused.

‘But, mind you,’ pursued Malkin, ’she’s not a bad woman.  By no means!  Thoroughly good-hearted I’m convinced; only a little weak here.’  He tapped his forehead.  ’I respect her, for all she has suffered, and her way of going through it.  But she isn’t the ideal mother, you know.’

On his way home, Malkin turned into his friend’s chambers ’for five minutes’.  At two in the morning he was still there, and his talk in the meanwhile had been of nothing but schemes for protecting Bella against her mother’s more objectionable influences.  On taking leave, he asked: 

‘Any news of Peak yet?’

‘None.  I haven’t seen Moxey for a long time.’

‘Do you think Peak will look you up again, if he’s in London?’

’No, I think he’ll keep away.  And I half hope he will; I shouldn’t quite know how to behave.  Ten to one he’s in London now.  I suppose he couldn’t stay at Exeter.  But he may have left England.’

They parted, and for a week did not see each other.  Then, on Monday evening, when Earwaker was very busy with a mass of manuscript, the well-known knock sounded from the passage, and Malkin received admission.  The look he wore was appalling, a look such as only some fearful catastrophe could warrant.

‘Are you busy?’ he asked, in a voice very unlike his own.

Earwaker could not doubt that the trouble was this time serious.  He abandoned his work, and gave himself wholly to his friend’s service.

‘An awful thing has happened,’ Malkin began.  ’How the deuce shall I tell you?  Oh, the ass I have made of myself!  But I couldn’t help it; there seemed no way out of it.’

‘Well?  What?’

’It was last night, but I couldn’t come to you till now.  By Jove!  I veritably thought of sending you a note, and then killing myself.  Early this morning I was within an ace of suicide.  Believe me, old friend.  This is no farce.’

‘I’m waiting.’

’Yes, yes; but I can’t tell you all at once.  Sure you’re not busy?  I know I pester you.  I was down at Wrotham yesterday.  I hadn’t meant to go, but the temptation was too strong.  I got there at five o’clock, and found that the girls were gone to have tea with some young friends.  Well, I wasn’t altogether sorry; it was a good opportunity for a little talk with their mother.  And I had the talk.  But, oh, ass that I was!’

He smote the side of his head savagely.

‘Can you guess, Earwaker?  Can you give a shot at what happened?’

‘Perhaps I might,’ replied the other, gravely.