"I said you had to face the worst, and I calculate the worst for you would be to see her with some little Browns along. My! How it makes you wince! Well, face it then and be a man."
He sat for a moment, his head buried in his hands—then—
"I will," he said, "I will do what I can; but oh, when you have the chance you will be good to her, won't you, dear friend?"
"There, there!" said the widow, and she patted his hand. "I had to scold you, because I see you have got the attack very badly and only strong measures are any good; but you know I am sorry for you both, and feel dreadfully, because I helped you to it without enough thought as to consequences."
There was silence for a few minutes, and she continued to stroke his hand.
"Dominic has run down to Dieppe to see those daughters of his," she said, presently, "and won't be back to-night. I meant to be all alone and meditate and go to bed early; but you can dine with me, if you wish, up here, and we will talk everything over. Our plans for the future, I mean, and what will be best to do; I kind of feel like your mother-in-law, you know." Which sentence comforted him.
This woman was his friend, and so kind of heart, if sometimes a little plain-spoken.
And late that night he wrote to Theodora.