"Sit down," she said, without opening her eyes, and, wondering what was wrong, I reached for her bedroom chair and sat down. "What's the matter?" I asked, a little alarmed already, though I knew not why. I wondered if anything had been discovered about myself. There were, as you know, plenty of such things to discover. Her eyes still remained closed, but her head fell a little on one side. It was not until I had asked her again what was the matter that she spoke. "It's--it's dreadful!" she moaned. "I--I can see you haven't heard----" "What is? Come, come!" I said, with some concern but more impatience. "No, I've not heard anything to take on like this about--unless you mean something about Archie's father?..." "No, it's nothing to do with Archie's father. Oh, I can't possibly tell you, Jeff----" It was on the tip of my tongue to say that in that case it was of little use my remaining; but she went on. "Just a minute," she said. "You haven't heard ... about Louie Causton?" I was certainly surprised. You will remember that I had not set eyes on Miss Causton since the evening of the breaking-up party, when she had danced twice round the room with me, sought me out again subsequently, and told me what the result had since falsified--that she was returning to the college in the new term. "No," I said abruptly. "What about her? Nothing wrong, I hope?" But she only sobbed, "Oh, Jeff!" and with her eyes still closed put out a helpless hand. I had to approach and take the hand before I learned what the mystery was. I don't know whether you have already guessed it. I hadn't, but for all that my surprise, great as it was, passed even in the moment of Kitty's broken whispering in my ear. I had known Louie Causton for a deep, still pool; I don't think any revelation whatever could have added to my respect for her powers of irony and nonchalance; and yet when I say that my surprise passed it passed only to return. Good gracious!... I seemed to hear her carefully lackadaisical voice again as she had munched nougat: "So long since I've seen a man, my dear" ... and other circumstances, unmarked at the time, flashed on me now. A child! "Good gracious!" I breathed again in consternation. My next thought was of Evie. I was kneeling by Kitty's chair, holding her hand. I asked quickly: "Does Evie know of this?" "Yes." "And does she know you're telling me?" "Yes." "And of course Miss Soames does not know?" "No." "She thinks as I thought, that it's about Archie's father Evie's so upset?" "Yes; but perhaps she is about that too a little. I'm horribly upset, Jeff." This last I took as a hint that the effect of this very startling intelligence on Evie was not the first thing to be considered. "Yes, yes.... I see...." I murmured. We were silent, and I felt Kitty's fingers move within my grasp. They pressed mine more closely. "Don't leave me just yet, Jeff," she begged faintly. She was genuinely prostrated.