'Yes! she has saved him,' assented Dan; 'we have that she-devil on the hip now!'
Lewis Gordon stood silent a moment; he had grown very pale. 'You are both right, I expect,' he said quietly. 'It settles--everything.'
Gwen drew a long breath of relief, but Rose seemed lost in thought.
'No! not everything,' she said absently, half to herself. 'It does not tell us why George shot himself.'
She scarcely knew she spoke aloud; she had forgotten everything but the dead boy.
'Shot himself!, The words came back to her in a sort of cry. 'Shot himself! What do you mean? What does she mean?'
Gwen stood as if petrified before those regretful faces. Then, as the truth struck at her, beating down her shield of self-deception, she turned at last, forgetful of all else, to the shelter of Dan's kind arms. 'Dan! Dan! it isn't true--it can't be true! say it isn't true.'
He drew her closer to him, looking down into her agonised face with a perfect passion of tenderness and kissed it; forgetful in his turn, of everything save that she had come to him at last.
'It is true, my darling; he did it to save me and you. Gwen! Gwen! it wasn't your fault--My God! she has fainted!'
'I'm sorry,' began Rose, feeling paralysed by surprise, but Dan's kind smile was ready even in his distress.