Anne called to them. "I say, darlings, would you mind awfully going

somewhere else? Colin can't sleep with you prowling about there."

Adeline's voice came up to them with a little laughing quiver.

"All right, ducky; we're going in."

One morning Adeline came down smiling, more self-conscious than ever.

"Anne," she said, "do you think you could look after Colin if I went up

to Evelyn's for a week or two?"

Evelyn was Adeline's sister. She lived in London.

"Of course I can."

"You aren't afraid of being alone with him?"

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"Afraid? Of Col-Col? What do you take me for?"

"Well--" Adeline meditated. "It isn't as if Mrs. Benning wasn't here."

Mrs. Benning was the housekeeper.

"That'll make it all right and proper. The fact is, I must have a rest

and change before the winter. I hardly ever get away, as you know. And

Evelyn would like to have me. I think I must go."

"Of course you must go," Anne said.

And Adeline went.

At the end of the first week she wrote: 12 Eaton Square. November 3d, 1915.

Darling Anne,--Will you be very much surprised to hear that your

father and I are going to be married? You mayn't know it, but he

has loved me all his life. We _were_ to have married once (you

knew _that_), and I jilted him. But he has never changed. He has

been so faithful and forgiving, and has waited for me so

patiently--twenty-seven years, Anne--that I hadn't the heart to

refuse him. I feel that I must make up to him for all the pain

I've given him.

We want you to come up for the wedding on the 10th. It will be

very quiet. No bridesmaids. No party. We think it best not to

have it at Wyck, on Colin's account. So I shall just be married

from Evelyn's house.

Give us your blessing, there's a dear.

Your loving Adeline Fielding.

Anne's eyes filled with tears. At last she saw Adeline Fielding

completely, as she was, without any fascination. She thought: "She's

marrying to get away from Colin. She's left him to me to look after. How

could she leave him? How could she?"

Anne didn't go up for the wedding. She told Adeline it wasn't much use

asking her when she knew that Colin couldn't be left.

"Or, if you like, that _I_ can't leave him."

Her father wrote back: Your Aunt Adeline thinks you reproach her for leaving Colin. I told her

you were too intelligent to do anything of the sort. You'll agree it's

the best thing she could do for him. She's no more capable of looking

after Colin than a kitten. She wants to be looked after herself, and

you ought to be grateful to me for relieving you of the job.




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