by the sunshine, ruffled the purple sea. She coloured a little and
looked troubled, and after an instant she repeated interrogatively:
"The next moment?"

"As soon as I told you what I had done. I was scrupulous about this,
you will remember; I went straight downstairs to confess to you. You
turned away from me, saying nothing; I couldn't imagine--as I vow I
can't imagine now--why such a matter should appear so closely to
touch you. I went out on some business and when I returned you had
quitted the house. It had all the look of my having offended you, of
your wishing to get away from me. You didn't even give me time to
tell you how it was that, in spite of your advice, I determined to
see for myself what my discovery represented. You must do me justice
and hear what determined me."

Mrs. Ryves got up from her scat and asked him, as a particular
favour, not to allude again to his discovery. It was no concern of
hers at all, and she had no warrant for prying into his secrets. She
was very sorry to have been for a moment so absurd as to appear to do
so, and she humbly begged his pardon for her meddling. Saying this
she walked on with a charming colour in her cheek, while he laughed
out, though he was really bewildered, at the endless capriciousness
of women. Fortunately the incident didn't spoil the hour, in which
there were other sources of satisfaction, and they took their course
to her lodgings with such pleasant little pauses and excursions by
the way as permitted her to show him the objects of interest at
Dover. She let him stop at a wine-merchant's and buy a bottle for
luncheon, of which, in its order, they partook, together with a
pudding invented by Miss Teagle, which, as they hypocritically
swallowed it, made them look at each other in an intimacy of