'Clothilde,' she said, 'how can you torture me? This is torture. Don't you know I love Cynthia Marlowe with my whole heart--a thousand times more than ever I loved you with a foolish creature's adoration of your mere superficial beauty? It pierces me to the quick to think she should ever have a moment's pain of mind. Don't you think that if the Admiral knew her future husband had been jilted by you, he might not tolerate the match? And her heart might break with the misery of it all; the Admiral may live twenty years! And how am I to tell her--and yet how am I to let it go untold?' Her voice sank, and she added this more to herself than aloud. 'Oh! she must know,' said Mrs. Severn in a matter-of-fact tone. Mrs. Hennifer looked at her quickly. 'You either won't see it from another's point of view, or you want to break it all off,' she said. 'No, no! Only we shall meet, and he will betray something.' 'You rarely leave Old Lafer, Clothilde.' 'Still I do go into Wonston occasionally, and I dine at the Hall, and the Marlowes call upon me. You know, Mary, every one knows I am something different to John. And Lucius may already know I am here.' Mrs. Hennifer considered a moment. 'One thing is certain,' she said drily, 'you must cure yourself of your old habit of calling him Lucius, and in order that you shall clearly understand their confidence in each other _he_ shall tell her who you are.' For an instant their eyes met. Mrs. Severn's bore a darting glance of defiant appeal, and her whole figure seemed to tremble. But whatever her fear she conquered it, and putting her arm through Mrs. Hennifer's proposed that they should go into the garden. CHAPTER XIII SCILLA REASONS WITH HARTAS 'Then you won't do a half-day's job?' 'No, I won't that. I wonder you've fashed yoursel to come and ask me. You ken I never will, least of all of a Friday. It's against common sense to think t'Almighty means you to tail off a week when He's sent sike a downpour the first four days. I'll none trouble t' pits this side o' Sabbath.' 'You might be the religiousest man in t' land, Hartas.' 'It's none religion. It's common sense. Sabbath's a landmark; it'll hev its due on either side from me. I'm none going to split a week or two days. We left half a dozen loads o' stuff at t' shaft mouth last week-end, and not a cart 'll hev crossed t' moor this tempest. They may come thick to-day, and if you like to go and wait for custom, you can.' Dick Chapman laughed angrily. 'If 'twer a matter o' trapping a few rabbits none ud be keener nor yoursel,' he said. 'I can't drop into t' pit alone, and so, as Reuben's off, I'm left in t' lurch. And next week's Martinmas.' 'I ken so.' 'And 'll no split that either, I reckon.' 'Martinmas's out o' count.' 'Ah! ah! there's no spree where there's no brass, eh?'