"It will. There shall be no disguise with you. I am offered the post of Berlin correspondent to a London newspaper. The salary would not be considered large by you, or any one of your--you know what I mean," he said, in answer to an impatient movement of her head. "But it is sufficient to enable me to offer Marian the comforts which she ought to have, and to receive her mother to live with us." "That will be very nice--very nice indeed," said Lady Caroline reflectively. "I'm sure I congratulate you very heartily, Mr. Joyce--very heartily. I think you said, when that man--what's his name?--Lord Hetherington's agent--said something about a boy whom you knew being killed--I think you said you had not heard from Miss Ashurst for some time." "Yee; I did say so." "Have you heard since?" "No, I have not. But I can perfectly understand her silence, and you would if you knew her. Marian is one of those persons who, on occasions like this--of illness and death, I mean--are the mainstay of the place wherever they may happen to be, and have to take the whole burden of management on to their own shoulders." "Of course--certainly--no doubt," said Lady Caroline. "And she has not written since the boy's death?" "No, not since." "It must have been a sad blow for the old father to bear. I don't know why I call him old, though. What age is he?" "Mr. Creswell? About fifty-five, I should think." "Ah, poor man! poor man!" said Lady Caroline, with much greater expression of pity for Mr. Creswell than when she first heard of Tom's death. "You have written to Miss Ashurst, informing her of this proposition, you say, Mr. Joyce?" "Yes, I wrote directly the offer assumed a tangible form." "And as yet you have not had her reply?" "No; there has not been time. I only wrote yesterday; she will not get the letter until to-morrow." "True, a two days' post from here to--where she is staying. Then you will look for her answer on Wednesday. Are you entirely depending on Miss Ashurst's reply?" "I scarcely understand you, Lady Caroline." "I mean, you are waiting until you hear from Miss Ashurst before you send your acceptance of this offer? Exactly so! But--suppose Miss Ashurst thought it unadvisable for her to leave this place where she is staying just now----" "That is an impossible supposition." "Well, then, put it that her mother's health--which you told me was ailing--was such as to prevent her from undertaking so long and serious a journey, and that she thought it her duty to remain by her mother----" "'Forsaking all other, and cleaving only unto him,'" quoted Joyce with gravity. "Yes, yes, my dear Mr. Joyce, very proper; but not the way of the world nowadays; besides, I'm sure you would not be selfish enough to have the old lady left behind amongst strangers. However, grant it hypothetically--would you still take up this appointment?"