'Clothilde,' she said, 'we will not deal in innuendo. It is detestable. Why don't you say like an honest woman, "Have you seen Lucius Danby yet? Is he the man I was once engaged to marry?" It is perfectly natural, in fact necessary, that you should still be interested in him to that extent. For you'll have to keep out of his way. But this dallying with a love-affair that was wholly dishonouring to yourself is disgusting. You chose to obliterate yourself from his life years ago, and you did not choose to confess your dishonour to your husband; and though circumstances are so cruel that you are compelled to recall all now, it can only be for the sake of impressing upon yourself the necessity of dignified self-effacement. If you are ever compelled to meet him it will be as a married woman and the mother of children, the wife of the man who will, practically speaking, be his upper servant.' 'Then it really is the same Lucius?' 'It is the same Mr. Danby.' 'And he is at Lafer?' 'Not at all, as you know, for Severn would have named it had he been. There are a good many preliminaries to be gone through in the case of a Miss Marlowe. Cynthia was aware of that. She came home to smooth the way. The Admiral was very much ruffled.' 'I should think he intended it to fall through so soon as they had separated by her coming home.' 'He did not cause the separation. She knew what was due to him and to herself----' 'Why, she surely has not thought more of her own dignity than of Lucius?' said Mrs. Severn, with one of her low laughs. 'Her own dignity!' repeated Mrs. Hennifer. 'She has done what was right, Clothilde, whether by instinct or deliberation I don't know. She has acted wisely. The Admiral sees her quiet determination and respects it. He is becoming reconciled, and Cynthia will soon have her way.' 'Very deep of her,' said Mrs. Severn; 'I should think you will have been struck by the new phase of her character. You would not have thought she had such management, would you? So he has not come over and contrived to see her?' Mrs. Hennifer's boiling indignation admitted only of ejaculatory refrains. 'Contrived to see her?' 'Well, I mean is he risking nothing? It all seems to me a preposterously cool transaction. Of course he knew she was an heiress?'