It was a morning of unclouded skies, the soft air laden with the scent of flowers. A morning to be alive in--yes, to be happy in, spite of regrets and doubts and cares; spite, even, of death and loss and buried love. On such a morning a man might think of his dead wife, perhaps. Might say to himself, "the pity of it!" but he could but be conscious that he, himself, was alive still; that in him, solemn, responsible, middle-aged as he might be, the fires of youth were not yet extinguished. He must feel the fragrant wind upon his cheek, the scent of delicious airs in his nostrils, must even, in spite of himself, use the eyes in his head to see what was fair and sweet and gracious. Jarvis, with his finger to his cap, retreated to his carnation-house, the entrance of which he had been guarding. "So you are leaving us?" Sir Francis began at once, stopping before Deleah. "My sister has been telling me. We shall miss you very much." "I shall never forget how good you have both been to me," Deleah said in her shy voice, and playing with the flowers in her hands. "But I think I ought to go." "You will do what you think you ought, I am sure," he said; and her heart sank at the ease with which he acquiesced. She turned to walk towards the house, and he walked beside her. "You will come to me if I can help you?" he said. "If I might use your name in case no one will let me a house?" "Of course. But you are not going to-day?" She had not meant to do so, but since he seemed to expect it, found herself saying that she was. "There is another matter," he said, "and it is that I came out to speak about. My brother Reginald is coming home." "Really? Is that so?" She spoke without any show of interest. "I thought he had gone for a year." "That was the original plan. But he went because I wished it--at that time. He has always been to me a docile, dear fellow, and I fear I presumed on that. I had no right to order his goings and comings--to order his life. None." "I think it was Franky's death. I think he was glad to go--" "That is as may be. I am going to tell him, now, to come back." Deleah, feeling that this was a matter in which she had no concern, walked on, saying nothing. "And now," Sir Francis went on, "I am going to ask you to alter your mind about leaving us. Since Reggie is coming back to us, won't you stay?" Deleah lifted her head, and regarded him in silent astonishment. He went on. "You have not forgotten what I said to you on a certain matter some months ago, although you have sweetly held yourself as if you did not remember. I now wish to recall the words I said then." He waited. It was difficult to carry on a conversation in which she would take no part. "I see that I was wrong. That which I feared might be for Reggie's undoing, I now believe would be for his good. Will you do me the great kindness to forget that former talk we had; or if you cannot forget, to act as though it had not taken place?"