"My dear, am I likely to say so? Have you ever heard me hint such a thing? But one may be sincerely sorry for the victim of such an awful misfortune, and yet feel that his blindness complicates matters. Because it does." "I'm not sure that I understand what you are driving at. Perhaps we are talking about different things." This is not entirely without forbearance--may show a trace of uncalled-for patience, as towards an undeserved conundrum-monger. "Perhaps we are, my dear. But as to what I'm driving at. Can you recall what Gwen said about his eyes?" "I think so. Let me see.... Yes--she said did I know anything against him. I said--nothing except his eyes. And then she said--I recollect it quite plainly--'Who destroyed his sight? Tell me that!'" "What did you answer to that?" "I refused to talk any longer, and said you and she must settle it your own way." "Nothing else?" "Oh--well--nothing--nothing to speak of! Lutwyche came worrying in with hot water." The Earl sat cogitating until her ladyship roused him by saying "Well!" rather tartly. Then he echoed back:--"Well, Philippa, I think possibly you are right." "Only possibly!" "Probably then. Yes--certainly probably!" "What about?" "I thought I understood you to say that, in your opinion, Gwen had got it into her head that ..." "Oh dear!... There--never mind!--go on." She considered her husband a prolix Earl, sometimes. "... That the accident was _our_ fault, and that it was _her_ duty to make it up to him." "Of course she has. What did you suppose?" "I supposed she might have--a--fallen in love with him. I thought you thought so, too, from what you said." "My dear Alexander, shall I never make you understand?" Her ladyship only used the long inconvenient name to emphasize rhetoric, which she did also in this instance by making every note _staccato_. "Gwen, has, fallen, in, love, with, Mr. Torrens, because, we, _did it_? _Now_ do you see?" "She has a--mixture of motives, in fact?" "Absolutely none whatever! She's over head and ears in love with him _because_ his eyes are out. No other reason in life! What earthly good do you think the child thinks she could do him if she _didn't_ love him? Men will never understand girls if they live till Doomsday." The Earl did not grapple with the problems this suggested; but reflected, while her ladyship waited explicitly. At last he said:--"It certainly appears to me that if Gwen's ... predilection for this man depends in any degree on a mistaken conviction of duty, the only course open to us is to--to temporise--to deprecate rash actions and undertakings. Under the circumstances it would be impossible to condemn or find fault with either. It is perfectly inconceivable that poor Torrens--should have--should have taken any initiative...." "Oh, my dear, what nonsense! Of course, Gwen did that. She proposed to him when I was away at the flower-show...."