"Yes. We might even build together now--but then it would no longer be a cathedral. It would be a mud hovel like the rest. And that would be wrong--wrong to the world and wrong to ourselves. Have you understood what I mean?" He waited patiently, his hand still clasping hers. One single piteous tear rolled down her cheek, but that was all, and when she looked up at him her eyes were calm and steadfast. "I understand quite well what you mean," she said, "and I know that you are right. God bless and help you." "And you, Lois." They exchanged a firm pressure. Then Nicholson rose. "I must be going," he said. "Will you tell Travers that I shall be around at the office to-morrow morning? If by any chance he has any shares going, I should be obliged if he would allot them to me." Lois rose also. Her face was turned toward the door. "If you wait one moment, you will see him yourself," she said. "I think I hear him coming upstairs." She was right. The next minute the door opened quickly and Travers entered. Evidently something unusual had happened. In one hand he held an open telegram. His face was crimson with excitement and his lips parted as if with a hasty announcement. But as he saw the two standing at the table watching him, he stopped short, looking from one to the other with a flash of amused curiosity in his eyes. "Hullo, you both here?" he said cheerfully. "How cozy you look. See here, Lois, I've just had a telegram from the Rajah. He wants me to come at once. Can you be ready to start in three days?" "For Marut?" A rush of color filled her pale cheeks. "Yes, of course. By the bye, Nicholson, that's your destination, isn't it? We might travel together." "I think not," was the quiet answer. "I have orders to start next week." "Well, there's no great hurry for us, I expect. Our friend, Nehal, is of an excitable disposition. I hope you haven't had to wait long for me, Nicholson. You said you had some business you wanted to talk over with me." "Yes, it was about those shares. But if you are busy--" "Oh, that's all right. It won't take more than a few minutes to settle. How much do you want to invest? I tell you, my dear fellow, it's a splendid thing, and--" He was unexpectedly interrupted. He had taken out a heavy pocket-book and was busily looking through some papers, when Lois laid her hand on his. "I think Captain Nicholson is under a misapprehension, Archibald," she said, in a low voice. "He said you had some shares to sell him, but I remembered what you said about the mine, and I told him that there must be some mistake. I was quite right, wasn't I?" Every word she had spoken sounded emphasized as though she were striving to convey a double meaning, and the second in which husband and wife looked at each other was to the puzzled witness a painful eternity. With a strong perceptible effort, Travers turned away.