'Then heaven save me from matrimony,' cried Dick.
'It hasn't,' she laughed.
But immediately she grew serious once more.
'Mr. MacKenzie was in Brussels while they were in Spa.'
'I had a letter from him this morning.'
'Lady Kelsey says that according to the papers he's going to Africa again. I think it's that which has upset Lucy. They made a great fuss about him in Brussels.'
'Yes, he tells me that everything is fixed up, and he proposes to start quite shortly. He's going to do some work in the Congo Free State. They want to find a new waterway, and the King of the Belgians has given him a free hand.'
'I suppose the King of the Belgians looks upon one atrocity more or less with equanimity,' said Julia.
They were silent for a minute or two, while each was occupied with his own thoughts.
'You saw him after Lucy broke off the engagement,' said Julia, presently. 'Was he very wretched?'