I was silent, though silence was a torture to me.  Even, now the extent of Miss Darrell’s duplicity had not clearly dawned on him.  He complained that she had left him to suffer through ignorance of the truth; but the idea had not yet entered his mind that possibly she had deceived him from the first.  ’Oh, the stupidity and slowness of these honourable men where a woman is concerned!’ I groaned to myself; but my promise to Gladys kept me silent.

‘It was too bad of her, was it not?’ he said, appealing to me for sympathy; but I turned a deaf ear to this.

’Max, confess that you were wrong not to have taken my advice and gone down to Bournemouth:  you might have spared yourself months of suspense.’

‘Do you mean—­’ And then he reddened and stroked his beard nervously; but I finished his sentence for him:  he should not escape what I had to say to him.

’It is so much easier to come to an understanding face to face; but you would not take my advice, and the opportunity is gone.  Gladys is in the turret-room:  you could not gain admittance to her without difficulty:  what you have to say must be said by letter; but you might trust that letter to me, Max.’

He understood me in a moment.  I could see the quick look of joy in his eyes.  I had not betrayed Gladys, I had adhered strictly to my word that I would only speak of Lady Betty’s engagement; and with his usual delicacy Max had put no awkward questions to me:  he had respected my scruples, and kept his burning curiosity to himself.  But he would not have been a man if he had not read some deeper meaning under my silence:  he told me afterwards that the happy look in my eyes told him the truth.

So he merely said very quietly, ’You were right, and I was wrong, Ursula:  I own my fault.  But I will write now:  I owe Miss Hamilton some explanation.  When the letter is ready, how am I to put it into your hands?’

‘Oh,’ I answered in a matter-of-fact way, as though we were speaking of some ordinary note, and it was not an offer of marriage from a penitent lover, ’when you have finished talking to Miss Darrell,—­you will enjoy her conversation, I am sure, Max; it will be both pleasant and profitable,—­you might mention casually that there was something you wanted to say to your niece Ursula, and would she kindly ask that young person to step down to you for a minute? and then, you see, that little bit of business will be done.’

‘Yes, I see; but—­’ but here Max hesitated—­’but the answer, Ursula?’

‘Oh, the answer!’ in an off-hand manner; ’you must not be looking for that yet.  My patient must not be hurried or flurried:  you must give her plenty of time.  In a day or two—­well, perhaps, I might find an early stroll conducive to my health; these mornings are so beautiful; and—­Nonsense, Max!  I would do more than this for you’; for quiet, undemonstrative Max had actually taken my hand and lifted it to his lips in token of his gratitude.