She saw that he was not quite like himself, that there was an unusual expression on his face. He gave a faint apologetic smile. "As I stood there," he answered, "a strange feeling came over me--a foreboding, I suppose you would call it!" He paused; Christina grew pale, and said, "Won't you tell me what it was?" "It was an odd kind of conviction that the next time I stood there, it would not be in the body.--I think I shall not come back." "Come back!" echoed Christina, fear beginning to sip at the cup of her heart. "Where are you going?" "I start for Canada next week." She turned deadly white, and put out her hands, feeling blindly after support. Ian started to his feet. "We have tired you out!" he said in alarm, and took her by both hands to place her in the chair. She did not hear him. The world had grown dark about her, a hissing noise was in her ears, and she would have fallen had he not put his arm round her. The moment she felt supported, she began to come to herself. There was no pretence, however, no coquetry in her faintness. Neither was it aught but misery and affection that made her lay her head on Ian's shoulder, and burst into a violent fit of weeping. Unused to real emotion, familiar only with the poverty-stricken, false emotion of conquest and gratified vanity, when the real emotion came she did not know how to deal with it, and it overpowered her. "Oh! oh!" she cried at length between her sobs, "I am ashamed of myself! I can't help it! I can't help it! What will you think of me! I have disgraced myself!" Ian had been far from any suspicion of the state of things, but he had had too much sorrowful experience to be able to keep his unwilling eyes closed to this new consternation. The cold shower seemed to flood his soul; the bright drops descending with such swiftness of beauty, instinct with sun-life, turned into points of icy steel that pierced his heart. But he must not heed himself! he must speak to her! He must say something through the terrible shroud that infolded them! "You are as safe with me," he faltered, "--as safe as with your mother!" "I believe it! I know it," she answered, still sobbing, but looking up with an expression of genuine integrity such as he had never seen on her face before. "But I AM sorry!" she went on. "It is very weak, and very, very un--un--womanly of me! But it came upon me all at once! If I had only had some warning! Oh, why did you not tell me before? Why did you not prepare me for it? You might have known what it would be to hear it so suddenly!"