“Miss Pembury must not go away. She doesn’t like me, I know, but she is a good woman and she can be trusted. If you have to quarrel with me, Sir Robert, I hope you won’t vent your displeasure on either of the ladies. Sarah has done wrong, and I did worse wrong in helping her over the picture. I’m sorry and I’m ashamed. I know nothing can excuse her or me. Send me away, but don’t quarrel with her. Forgive her. She has never done anything to offend you till now, and Miss Pembury will take her part, I’m sure. I’ll go away to-night, if you like, on condition you let me take all the blame. Indeed I ought to do so.” This magnanimity did not appear greatly to impress Sir Robert. The terrible doubts which assailed him, indeed, made all other considerations seem of minor importance. But this address, if it did not impress the baronet, had its effect upon Lady Sarah. She was quick to jump to the conclusion that she was to take her cue from Jack, and to keep “in” with Rhoda, if she could. So she said: “Jack is right, Robert. You must keep Miss Pembury, if only for Caryl’s sake. As for poor me, I don’t count, do I, now? But at least if you are going to send me away, let me have a talk with Rhoda first. Perhaps I can explain things to her better than to you, and if she believes me, why, I suppose you will.” Sir Robert frowned. He did not like the tone which he noted in his wife’s speech, through which there seemed to run an undercurrent of sarcasm which offended and distressed him. Lady Sarah, having made up her mind what to do, was already, in her impulsive fashion, on the way to carry it out. “I will go straight to her,” she said, “and ask her to persuade you, not to forgive me, if you don’t want to forgive, but to do me justice. You are not doing me justice now.” “I am trying to,” said he gravely. Lady Sarah was at the door. “Perhaps, with her help, you will succeed,” said she with some appearance of dignity, as she swept out of the room, throwing at Jack a glance of intelligence which implied that she was following his lead. Sir Robert did not condescend to look at Jack again, but turning towards him, with his eyes averted, he said: “I’ll see you in the morning.” And with that he left the room and went upstairs, determined to keep watch himself, in order to prevent any meeting between his wife and Jack before the latter was safely got out of the house. Already he was hoping that things were not so bad as he had at first been inclined to fear. The spirit shown by his wife had been, he thought, a hopeful sign. Bad as her conduct had been in robbing her own husband, he was hoping that might prove to be the worst, and that even that was rather the result of malice and mischief than depravity.