"We all love our husbands--it's part of the Church Service to love them. Pah!--I am not here to talk of my marriage, but of yours. You know now that I don't care for Demetrius, and that I desired his help merely for my husband's sake." "Yes. I have wronged you"; and Katinka put out her hand. Lady Jim took it, rather softened. "You poor child, how foolish you are! Why not forget Demetrius?" "I cannot." "He is not worthy of you." "Is he not?--ah, you don't know him." Leah smiled grimly. "I know him much better than you do. However, if you insist upon putting him on an imaginary pedestal, there is no more to be said. Have you heard from him lately?" Mademoiselle Aksakoff was now quite deceived, and looked upon Lady Jim as her dearest and best friend. "Last week I received a letter from Funchal," she said eagerly. "Yes; I wrote to him about the chances of his pardon----" "Are there any chances?" "Yes, yes; I assure you--yes. I have a cousin, high in favour with the Czar, who can procure an immediate pardon. But my father does not wish me to marry Demetrius----" "Wise man," murmured Leah. "And so there is some difficulty. Oh"--she clasped her hands--"if Constantine would only be guided by me! He comes of a rich family, and has the title of Prince----" "So he told me." "Ah, but did he say how he had parted from his family because of his advanced ideas? He gave up money and rank, and all that makes life pleasant, to labour among the poor peasants. Is that not noble?" "So noble that I have difficulty in thinking M. Demetrius acted so." "But he did--he did. And my father is angered because of this self-sacrifice. If Constantine would only return to the rank of life in which he was born, my father would permit me to marry him, and then the pardon would speedily be procured. But I plead in vain," she murmured, with hanging head "he will not listen." "He may, when he returns," volunteered Lady Jim, kindly. "But when will that be? If he goes to Jamaica----" Leah turned suddenly white. "Why to Jamaica?" she asked sharply. "He wrote that the Duke of Pentland had asked him to go there, to see after your husband. And you say that----" "Yes, yes; but this patient Garth, who----" Katinka looked surprised. "But have you not heard?" "Heard? I have heard nothing. I do not correspond with M. Demetrius, my dear. It is now April, and he has been at Funchal since January, trying to heal that poor man. Has he----?" "No," said Mademoiselle Aksakoff, quickly. "The man is dead." "Garth dead?" Lady Jim sat down, with a gasp. "Yes; so Demetrius wrote last week, and said he would go on to Jamaica at the Duke's request to see your husband. But you look quite ill." "I hate to hear of deaths," said Lady Jim, viciously. She certainly spoke truly with regard to this particular death. In her mind lurked a dread lest Demetrius had assisted nature, after all. CHAPTER XV