He sat silent for nearly a minute, with his face set hard, and then he looked up.
“If Millicent were your daughter, would you let her go?”
Again Mrs. Gladwyne hesitated. His confidence hurt her; she shrank from delivering what she thought would be the final blow, but she strove to assure herself that she was acting in Millicent’s best interest.
“No,” she answered, “not unless she was passionately attached to the man who wished to take her out, and then I should do my utmost to dissuade her.”
He made no answer for a few moments. Then slowly he rose.
“Thank you,” he said gravely. “I’m afraid you’re right. It’s generally hard to do what one ought. Well,”—he took the hand she held out—“I’m grateful to you in many ways and I’d like you to remember me now and then.”
She let him go, and crossing the room to a window, she watched him stride down the drive with a swift, determined gait. He might be tried severely, but there was little fear of this man’s resolution deserting him. She was, however, troubled by a recurrence of the unpleasant sense of guilt when he disappeared; it was difficult to persuade herself that she had been quite honest, and the difficulty was new to her.
In the meanwhile Lisle walked on rapidly, disregarding the ache that the motion started in his injured arm and shoulder. In his dejected mood, the twinge at every step was something of a welcome distraction. Since a sacrifice must be made, it should, he resolved, be made by him; Millicent should not suffer, though he admitted that he had no reason for supposing that she would have been willing to do so. She had never shown him more than confidence and friendliness, and it was only during the past few weeks that he had ventured to think of the possibility of winning her. Even then, the thought had roused no excess of ardent passion; much as he desired her, a strong respect and steadfast affection were more in keeping with his temperament. Nevertheless, had he known that she loved him and he could confer benefits upon her in place of demanding a sacrifice, he would have been strangely hard to deter.
On his return, Nasmyth met him at the door.
“Where have you been?” he asked with some indignation.