Silently Clifford turned away, heavy-hearted and lost in perplexed thought.  What was best to be done for Innocent?  This was the chief question that presented itself to his mind.  He could no longer deny the fact that her position was difficult—­almost untenable.  Nameless, and seemingly deserted by her kindred, if any such kindred still existed, she was absolutely alone in life, now that Hugo Jocelyn was no more.  As he realised this to its fullest intensity, the deeper and more passionate grew his love for her.

“If she would only marry me!” he said under his breath, as he walked home slowly from the church-yard—­“It was Uncle Hugo’s last wish!”

Then across his brain flashed the memory of Ned Landon and his malignant intention—­born of baffled desire and fierce jealousy—­ to tarnish the fair name of the girl he coveted,—­then, his uncle’s quixotic and costly way of ridding himself of such an enemy at any price.  He understood now old Jocelyn’s talk of his “bargain” on the last night of his life,-and what a futile bargain it was, after all!—­for was not Jenny of the Mill-Dykes fully informed of the reason why the bargain was made?—­and she, the vilest-tongued woman in the whole neighbourhood, would take delight in spreading the story far and wide.  Five Hundred Pounds paid down as “hush-money"!—­so she would report it—­thus, even if he married Innocent it would be under the shadow of a slur and slander.  What was wisest to do under the circumstances he could not decide—­and he entered the smiling garden of Briar Farm with the saddest expression on his face that anyone had ever seen there.  Priscilla met him as he came towards the house.

“I thought ye’d never git here, Mister Robin,” she said, anxiously—­“Ye haven’t forgot there’s folks in the hall ‘avin’ their ‘wake’ feed an’ they’ll be wantin’ to speak wi’ ye presently.  Mister Bayliss, which is ye’r uncle’s lawyer, ’e wants to see ye mighty partikler, an’ there ain’t no one to say nothin’ to ’em, for the dear little Innocent, she’s come back from the cold churchyard like a little image o’ marble, an’ she’s gone an’ shut ’erself up in ‘er own room, sayin’ ’Ask Mister Robin to excuse me’—­poor child!—­she’s fair wore out, that she is!  An’ you come into the big ’all where there’s the meat and the wine laid out, for funeral folk eats more than weddin’ folk, bein’ longer about it an’ a bit solemner in gettin’ of it down.”

Robin looked at her with strained, haggard eyes.

“Priscilla,” he said, huskily—­“Death is a horrible thing!”

“Ay, that it is!” and Priscilla wiped the teardrops off her cheeks with a corner of her apron—­“An’ I’ve often thought it seems a silly kind o’ business to bring us into the world at all for no special reason ’cept to take us out of it again just as folks ’ave learned to know us a bit and find us useful.  Howsomever, there’s no arguin’ wi’ the Almighty, an’ p’raps it’s us as makes the worst o’ death instead o’ the best of it.  Now you go into the great hall, Mr. Robin—­you’re wanted there.”