He knew well enough the influence that he possessed, and when, as on this afternoon, he felt it his duty to avail himself of it, he could not pretend that he faced his task with any exultation. That he should rouse her fury, as he had one or twice already roused it, meant humiliation for him as well as for herself, and afterwards embarrassment for them both as they saw those scenes in retrospect. She glanced up at him carefully as he came in and knew him well enough to realize that there was something that he must say to her. There had been other such occasions, she remembered them all. Sometimes she herself had been the subject of them, something that was injuring her health, some indulgence that he could not allow her. Sometimes the battle had been about others; she had fought him and on occasions it had seemed that their relationship was broken once and for all, that nothing could cover the words that had been spoken--but always through everything she had admired his courage. The way had always been to stand up to her. For a little time they talked about her health, and then there fell a pause. She, leaning back in her chair with her thin, sharp hands on her lap, watched him grimly as he sat on the other side of the fireplace, leaning forward a little, looking into the fire. "Well," she said at last. "What is it?" Her voice was deep, but every word was clear-cut, resonant. "There _is_ something--two things," he answered her slowly. "You can dismiss me for an interfering old fool, you know. You often have been tempted to do it before, I dare say." "I have," she said. "Go on." But as she spoke she drew her hands a little more closely together. She was not quite so ready for these battles as she had once been. She was afraid a little now. A new sensation for her; she hated that restricting awkwardness that would remain between them for days afterwards. She looked at his red, cheerful face and wondered impatiently why he must always be meddling in other people's affairs. She hated Quixotes. "Your Grace," he began again, "has only got to stop me and I'll say no more." "Oh yes, you will," she said impatiently. "I know you. Say what you please." "I want to speak about Francis Breton----" He paused, but she said nothing, only for an instant her whole face flashed into stone. The firelight seemed for an instant to hold it there, then, as the flame fell, she was once again indifferent. Christopher had grasped his courage now. He went on gravely: "I must speak about him. I know how unpleasant the whole subject is to you. We've had our discussions before and I've fought his battles with all the world more times than I can count. You must remember that I've known Frank all his life--I knew his unhappy father. I've known them both long enough to realize that the boy's been heavily handicapped from the beginning----"