'Well, well, my dear, the story is painful, but it must come out now. The facts were these. We were married privately by a rogue of a parson at St. Pancras Church at Rousdon. It is ruinous, but it had a rector, who lived in Lyme, and did no duty, as there were no parishioners. I do not think he was unfrocked. It would have been hardly worth the bishop's while to do that, you see, as he did no duty, and there was no roof on the church. For my sake, and at my request, the marriage was kept secret. When young, your mother was a beautiful woman; you remind me of her greatly. In fact you get your good looks from her.' 'But, father, why were you――――' 'I know what you would say. Why were we separated? You see the marriage was not known, and I was given a place in the Foreign Office, and as every one supposed that I was calculated by character and capacities to get advancement in it I began to see that my marriage presented serious difficulties.' He began to fumble with the teaspoon at his tongue, and spoke accordingly indistinctly. 'I mean this――that I feared it might prevent my preferment, and then again it would alienate all my family from me. I had an aunt who was wealthy, and she doted on me; but she was ambitious, and would not have forgiven me. So I got your mother to keep our marriage dark, and then――then――――' 'Then you were appointed Governor-General of Tierra del Fuego.' 'No――come――no. That was not really the case. I believe poor Jane――I mean your mother――was led to think I had gone abroad, lest she should come to town after me and make scenes. She had a violent temper.' 'So you parted with my mother for the sake of your prospects with an aunt and for preferment in the Foreign Office?' 'I would not put it quite in that way. Of course they could not turn me out because I had married your mother, but they would have seen that she was not wholly qualified to shine in a Foreign Embassy. You see she could speak neither French nor Chinese. You comprehend――it would have caused difficulties, embarrassments.' 'But did you get an Embassy?' 'No, no; I remained in the office.' 'Then you threw her over for nothing!' 'No; not quite that. My aunt died a year ago at an advanced age, and has left me very comfortably provided for. I have applied for a pension, and am really in easy circumstances at present――now, just at the time when――――' He shivered, and his weak mouth fell. 'It is too tragic to contemplate. I did hope that the Bath waters might have expelled the poison from my veins, but my disorder remains unarrested. It may be rapid in its course, and my dissolution may be near, or it may be slow. I cannot tell. The doctors give me very little hope, in fact, to be candid, none at all. O Winefred, you will nurse me through it?' 'Yes, father, and so will mother.'