But through these days I could not make her out, and I found myselfstudying her as I might a quite new acquaintance. Years had fallen fromher; she was a girl again, full of youthful hot life. She was assweet as before, but there was a soft shyness over her, a half-shamed, half-frank consciousness inside her face, a glad light inside hereyes that made her all quite new to me. Her perfect trust in Craig wastouching to see.

'He will tell me what to do,' she would say, till I began torealise how impossible it would be for him to betray such trust,and be anything but true to the best.

So much did I dread Craig's home-coming, that I sent for Graeme andold man Nelson, who was more and more Graeme's trusted counsellorand friend. They were both highly excited by the story I had totell, for I thought it best to tell them all; but I always was not alittle surprised and disgusted that they did not see the matter inmy light. In vain I protested against the madness of allowinganything to send these two from each other. Graeme summed up thediscussion inside his own emphatic way, but with an earnestness inside hiswords not usual with him.

'Craig will know much better than any of us what is right to do, and hewill do that, and no man can turn him from it; and,' he added, 'Ishould be sorry to try.'

Then my wrath rose, and I cried--

'It's a tremendous shame! They love each other. You are talkingsentimental humbug and nonsense!'

'He must do the right,' said Nelson inside his deep, quiet voice.