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that woman Jacynth. I found myself putting all I’d ever known or ever felt into her, poor sweetie. It was very nice of you to go and see me.’
    From that moment her manner changed subtly. It was such a gradual metamorphosis, so exquisitely done, that Campion only just noticed it, but the fact remained that she began to remind him strongly of the heroine in
The Little Sacrifice
. Touches of the character crept into her voice, into her helpless little gestures, into her very attitude of mind, and he thought ungenerously that it would have been even more interesting, besides being much more easy to follow,if the original part had only been played in some strong foreign accent.
    Dell was openly enchanted. He remained watching her with fascinated attention, his blue eyes smiling and very kind.
    â€˜It was a long time ago and all very sad and silly even then.’ Georgia sounded both brave and helplessly apologetic. ‘He was such a dear, my sweet moody Richard. I knew him so awfully well. We were both innately lonely people and . . . well, we were very fond of one another. When he simply vanished I was broken-hearted, but, naturally, I couldn’t admit it. Could I?’
    She made a little fluttering appeal to them all to understand.
    â€˜One doesn’t, does one?’ she demanded with that sudden frankness which, if it is as embarrassing, is also as entirely disarming as nakedness. ‘I mean, when one really is in love one’s so painfully self-conscious, so miserably mistrustful of one’s own strength. I’m talking about the real, rather tragic thing, of course. Then one’s so horribly afraid that this exquisite, precious, deliriously lovely sanctuary one’s somehow achieved may not be really solid, may not be one’s own for keeps. One’s so conscious all the time that one can be hurt beyond the bounds of bearing that in one’s natural pessimism one dreads disaster all the time, and so when something does happen one accepts it and crawls away somewhere. You do know what I mean, don’t you?’
    They did, of course, being all adult and reasonably experienced, and Mr Campion, who was shocked, was yet grudgingly impressed. Her tremendous physical health and that quality which Dell had called ‘confiding’ had clothed an embarrassing revelation of the ordinary with something rather charming. He glanced at Val.
    She looked past him and did not speak aloud, although her lips moved. He thought he read the words ‘strip-tease’, and regarded her with sudden respect.
    Georgia did not let the scene drop.
    â€˜I’m so sorry,’ she said helplessly. ‘This is all so disgustingly vulgar of me, but oh, my dears! – suddenly to see it on the placards, to make Ferdie leap out of the car and get a paper, to snatch it away from him and then to look and find it all true . . . ! They’ve found his skeleton, you see.’
    Her eyes were holding them all and there was real wretchedness in the grey shadows.
    â€˜You never think of people you know having skeletons, do you?’
    â€˜My dear, how horrible!’ Val’s ejaculation was startled out of her. ‘When did all this happen?’
    â€˜Now,’ said Georgia miserably. ‘Now, just as I was coming here. I’d have gone home, my pet, but I couldn’t let you and everybody else down just when we were all so rushed. I didn’t realize it was going to have this dreadful loquacious effect upon me.’
    â€˜Darling, what are you talking about?’ Ferdie Paul slipped his arm round her and drew her back against him. His face over her shoulder was dark and amused, but there was more in his voice than tolerance. ‘Forget it. You’ll upset yourself.’
    Georgia shivered, smiled, and released herself with a gentle dignity, directed, Campion felt, at himself and Dell. She glanced at her husband, who came forward promptly, his natural springy walk lending him a