Her grief was so touching and pathetic that Robin could not find it in his heart to make a jest of the romance she had woven round the old French knight whose history had almost passed into a legend. After all, what she said was true--the line of the Jocelyn family had been kept intact through three centuries till now--and a direct heir had always inherited Briar Farm. He himself had taken a certain pride in thinking that Uncle Hugo's "love-child," as he had believed her to be, was at any rate, love-child or no, born of the Jocelyn blood--and that when he married her, as he hoped and fully purposed to do, he would discard his own name of Clifford and take that of Jocelyn, in order to keep the continuity of associations unbroken as far as possible. All these ideas were put to flight by Innocent's story, and, as the position became more evident to him, the smiling expression on his face changed to one of gravity. "Dear Innocent," he said, at last--"Don't cry! It cuts me to the heart! I would give my very life to save you from a sorrow--you know I would! If you ever thought, as you say, that you could or would marry me for the sake of the Sieur Amadis, you might just as well marry me now, even though the Sieur Amadis is out of it. I would make you so happy! I would indeed! And no one need ever know that you are not really the lineal descendant of the Knight--" She interrupted him. "Priscilla knows," she said--"and, no matter how you look at it, I am 'base-born.' Your Uncle Hugo has let all the village folk think I am his illegitimate child--and that is 'base-born' of itself. Oh, it is cruel! Even you thought so, didn't you?" Robin hesitated. "I did not know, dear," he answered, gently--"I fancied--" "Do not deny it, Robin!" she said, mournfully. "You did think so! Well, it's true enough, I suppose!--I am 'base-born'--but your uncle is not my father. He is a good, upright man--you can always be proud of him! He has not sinned,--though he has burdened me with the shame of sin! I think that is unfair,--but I must bear it somehow, and I will try to be brave. I'm glad I've told you all about it,--and you are very kind to have taken it so well--and to care for me still--but I shall never marry you, Robin!--never! I shall never bring my 'base-born' blood into the family of Jocelyn!" His heart sank as he heard her--and involuntarily he stretched out his arms in appeal. "Innocent!" he murmured--"Don't be hard upon me! Think a little longer before you leave me without any hope! It means so much to my life! Surely you cannot be cruel? Do you care for me less than you care for that old knight buried under his own effigy in the garden? Will you not think kindly of a living man?--a man who loves you beyond all things? Oh, Innocent!--be gentle, be merciful!" She came to him and took his hands in her own.