"I shall be in and will introduce you to my chief if you can come at twelve o'clock. Well, good-bye for the present." He raised his hat to Florence, favoured her with a keen glance, said good-bye to Trevor, and turned away.
"I must congratulate you," said Trevor, as the young man and the girl walked up the little path to the house.
"What for?" she asked. She raised her eyes full of dumb misery to his face.
"For having won a success, and a very honourable one."
"Oh, don't ask me any more," she said; "please, please don't speak of it. I thought I should be so happy to-day."
"But does not this make you happy? I do not understand."
"It makes me terribly miserable. I cannot explain. Please don't ask me."
"I won't; only just let me say that, whatever it is, I am sorry for you."
He held out his hand. The next moment he had taken hers. Her hand, which had been trembling, lay still in his palm. He clasped his own strong, firm hand over it.
"I wish I could help you," he said, in a low voice, and then they both entered the house.