Geraldine soon effaced all traces of her emotion, except a slight redness about the whites of her eyes, and the two sisters went on deck. Robert Potter had in the meantime communicated the news to Lady Kirkdale, who was sitting under a large Japanese umbrella looking unusually perturbed. Geraldine took her place under the awning and was soon surrounded with a group of merrymakers, and she laughed and talked and picnicked, drank champagne, and made feeble jokes, quite as gaily as the rest. However, directly she got back to the hotel she told her mother her head ached. She went and shut herself up in her room. Here she wrote the following letter:-- ‘DEAR MR. TRAVERS,--I am so sorry, so very sorry, for what has happened. I have been afraid you were in money difficulties for some time. Will you give me the happiness of helping you out of them? Believe me, you have my deepest sympathy. I don’t believe in society, or any of its laws. I enclose twenty-five pounds in notes, hoping you will accept them as a proof that I will do anything I can to extricate you from the difficulties in which you are involved.--Yours always sincerely, ‘GERALDINE FITZJUSTIN.’ She took the letter to the post herself. It was almost the first time in her life she had left the house unattended. She felt that every one must know what she was doing, that she was being watched, and that the post-office clerk guessed the reason of her sending a registered letter. At last she completed the business, and putting the tell-tale little flimsy receipt-paper in her purse, she hurried back to the hotel. Just as she entered it she encountered Lord Kirkdale and Mr. Clausen, who had that moment arrived. ‘Out alone, Lady Geraldine?’ ‘Yes, what is one to do when one’s brother deserts one like this?’ ‘Your maid?’ ‘Gone out herself; she didn’t expect us back so soon, I suppose; we have been on board the _Sunflower_ all the afternoon, you know.’ ‘Have you heard the news?’ asked Kirkdale as they entered the private sitting-room. ‘Yes; what has become of Mr. Travers? Is he at Old Windsor?’ ‘He is.’ She sighed with relief. ‘Clausen and I went down yesterday and arranged to get his wife something to do.’ ‘His wife!’ ‘Oh! didn’t you know that he was married? I thought you said you had heard the news.’ ‘Married? married? When? who to?’ ‘About three months ago: a most beautiful girl. You may have heard of her--Grace Lovell--she was an actress.’ ‘I don’t remember,’ said Geraldine, in a bewildered tone. ‘What did you say? Why didn’t he tell us?’ ‘I can’t say. It’s all very ugly, on the face of it; and I tell you what, Geraldine, I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s one of the biggest villains on earth. I did you all a terrible wrong in bringing him to the house. I have to ask your forgiveness.’