"Good God, no!"
He came and knelt beside her.
"Lily, it's you I love, my darling, my little wife. I don't know if a woman can understand how these things happen.... We haven't been happy together lately and I was lonely and down on my luck. I met her by chance, and she asked me to take her to tea somewhere, and she's attractive, you know, in her way. I took her to a theatre the same night—but I swear to you that I never thought of anything but having a cheery evening at a deadly dull time of year in London. But then—well, then I suppose I saw that she was for it, and I lost my head. I drove her home in a taxi, and when we got to her place she—she didn't want to get out. She said she'd see me to the Club, instead—I suppose I knew what she was up to, then. She's living at some Mansions or other, and she knew our place was more or less shut up. Anyway, we went there, and not to the Club. The old woman had left the drinks and things out, as she did every night before going off home, and the house was empty. It seemed safe enough, from the point of view of discovery. Heaven knows how she got the latch-key—I suppose she took it. She telephoned me next day at the Cub that she was coming to bring it back to me—she hadn't the wit to know that I hated her like hell by that time and never wanted to go near her again. Though it was myself I ought to have hated—and did, too. Well, I thought if she was bent on coming, I'd let her come, and show her that it was all over, and that I knew I'd been a cad. I never thought of the little fool letting herself in like that with the wretched key—though I'd have laid a thousand to one against the chance of anyone spotting her who knew either of us. It was the most extraordinary chance——"
"You didn't see Kenneth?"
"No."
"What made you ask if I knew?"
"I'd a sort of feeling you must know. In fact, I rather felt as if everybody must know—sort of branded. I couldn't write to you, or do anything. I knew I should have to tell you. Lily, do you think you can ever forgive me?"
"Oh, yes," said Lily, surprised.
"You angel! You little saint!" With an exuberant gesture he put his arm round her, and she made an instinctive movement of recoil.
"But Nicholas, wait. I never thought of forgiving or not forgiving, because I don't feel angry, but you know, we—we could——"