"Ah, _then_! But it is wrong to wish that he should have been guilty of any wickedness. I think, Mr. Stanton, that as I have promised to be his wife we must talk no more of this--you and I. I have always had a horror of disloyalty." "I know," I said, "that I have done an unheard-of thing in thus stealing you away from your friends to ask you questions which only the most intimate friends could claim the right to ask, but----" "Oh," she cried, impulsively. "Somehow you and I have bridged over years. You are good to me--don't think I will misunderstand. I shall always remember you, and--what you would have done for me." "What I shall try _yet_ to do, in spite of all," I amended. "I meant to leave England soon, but now--I shall stay." "Yes--stay," she faintly echoed; "though you must leave me now. I--I would rather _anything_ than that you were with me when they come to me. I will make them some excuse for having separated myself from them. Only go now--_please_ go." As she spoke, outside in the hall we heard voices and footsteps coming nearer. CHAPTER XI Wildred Scores Karine's face grew paler than before. Throwing up her head with a proud, spirited little gesture, she walked quickly to the door, and passed into the hall. I knew that this was to prevent her friends from entering and finding us together, as they must otherwise have done; and there was nothing for me to do (cowardly as this seemed) but obey her, and passively submit to the carrying out of her scheme. It had indeed been Sir Walter and Lady Tressidy and Carson Wildred whose voices we had heard. "Why did you run away? We have been looking for you everywhere, and wasting _so_ much time!" I heard Lady Tressidy say fretfully. "I was very tired of standing," the girl promptly returned, "and of _waiting_, too"--with a certain imperiousness in her tone. "I wandered away to fill up the time till Mr. Wildred should have straightened matters in the dining-room." She had contrived to satisfy their curiosity without telling an actual falsehood, of which I knew instinctively she would greatly dislike making herself guilty. It did not seem to occur to them to enter the drawing-room where she had left me; and when I was sure that they had passed out of sight and hearing I came forth from the ignominious hiding-place to which her command had condemned me. In the exalted mood which had possession of me the thought of dinner would have been abhorrent. For the rest of the evening I kept my room, meditating many things, and becoming more and more desirous of learning Carson Wildred's secret, if secret indeed he had. At all events, I still had six weeks in which to work, with the hope ever before me of saving Karine Cunningham from the man whom, by her own confession, she did not love.