"Has she been brought on board yet?" he gasped. "Is—is there any hope?"
"We shall know very soon. It is possible you may find that all is at an end."
"Ah! you think so? But—but no one will say it was my fault, will they? I—I was ready to make any sacrifice—only somehow, when the moment comes, I am apt to lose my presence of mind."
"Yes, I know," she said feelingly; "you are not quite yourself yet, but I know you would make the sacrifice if your duty demanded it. But she may have taken advantage of your absence to free herself and you from all obligation, may she not?"
This suggestion comforted Peter.
"She must have done!" he said. "Yes, of course. I could not be expected to prevent it, if I wasn't there; and I wasn't, when it came to the point. But, Miss Tyrrell, do you think that it is really all over? She—she may come round after all!"
"She may—but of course, if it is true that she is engaged to another, she can have no possible claim on you."
What a sensible right-minded way this girl had of looking at things! thought Peter, not for the first time.