on the evening of julia’s departure for nevis, ishbel entered her husband’s study and perched herself on the arm of his chair.

“eric,” she said, “when you have made a promise you can’t break, is it wrong to get round it, if it is for the good of some one you are very fond of?”

“what are you driving at? nothing more interesting than the workings of the female conscience under fire.”

“you like mr. tay?”

“rather. never liked a man more. deuced good chap all round.”

“you think that he and julia should marry?”

“i do. but am not so sure they will. julia’s a hard nut to crack.”

“quite so. but i want her to be as happy as i am.”

“right you are. tay’s the man.”

“there’s something i promised bridgit not to tell either julia or mr. tay. but i didn’t promise not to tell you.”

dark laughed. “i begin to see daylight. i suppose even bridgit doesn’t encourage you to have secrets from your husband.”

“you are a dear! well, it’s this. france is very low, has a bad case of heart and may go any minute.”

dark whistled. “that would simplify matters.”

“yesterday i called at kingsborough house and gently wormed the whole truth out of the duchess. the attacks are growing more and more frequent. the doctors don’t give him a fortnight.”

dark stood up, “i see! i see!”

“i didn’t dare tell you until mr. tay and julia had both left. if you had told him, he wouldn’t have gone, and julia would hold out, here in england. but on nevis, on a tropical island! all these associations and duties will seem like a dream down there, and one hasn’t much energy in the tropics, anyhow, to say nothing of being steeped in an atmosphere of romance. i want you to cable mr. tay—so that he will get your message when he arrives in new york day after to-morrow—that france is dying, that julia has sailed for nevis, and that if he is wise, he will go there at once—he can get there first, i should think, for the royal mail takes eighteen days—and marry her the moment he gets another cable from you announcing france’s death. do you mind?”

“rather not!”

“tell him to say nothing to julia about france’s condition until he is quite certain she is free?—”

“do you want me to go stony—”

“oh, what do a few pounds matter—”

“when arranging people’s destinies! well, go on.”

“julia must not return to england. if she did, mr. tay would have to begin all over again. i don’t like anything that looks like treachery to the women, but still?—”

“i do,” said dark, dryly. “permit me to take the whole matter over to my own conscience. that’s what a man is made for, among other things. tay shall marry julia if i can help him manage it, and the women can go where i’ve consigned them several times already. now, i’ll go out and send that cablegram.”