He walked up and down a few turns. Daphne watched him.
"I'm not pious--I never was. But after all, the religious people profess to know something about it, and nobody else does. Just supposing it were true?"
He stopped short, looking at her. She understood perfectly that he had Beatty in his mind.
"Well, anyhow, I'm going to live decently for the rest of my time--and die decently. I'm not going to throw away chances. And don't trouble yourself about money. There's enough left to carry me through. Good-bye, Daphne!" He held out his hand to her.
She took it, still dumbly weeping. He looked at her with pity.
"Yes, I know, you didn't understand what you were doing. But you see, Daphne, marriage is----" he sought rather painfully for his words, "it's a big thing. If it doesn't make us, it ruins us; I didn't marry you for the best of reasons, but I was very fond of you--honour bright! I loved you in my way, I should have loved you more and more. I should have been a decent fellow if you'd stuck to me. I had all sorts of plans; you might have taught me anything. I was a fool about Chloe Fairmile, but there was nothing in it, you know there wasn't. And now it's all rooted up and done with. Women like to think such things can be mended, but they can't--they can't, indeed. It would be foolish to try."
Daphne sank upon a chair and buried her face in her hands. He drew a long and painful breath. "I'm afraid I must go," he said waveringly. "I--I can't stand this any longer. Good-bye, Daphne, good-bye."
She only sobbed, as though her life dissolved in grief. He drew near to her, and as she wept, hidden from him, he laid his hand a moment on her shoulder. Then he took up his hat.
"I'm going now," he said in a low voice. "I shan't come back till you have gone."
She heard him cross the room, his steps in the veranda. Outside, in the summer dark, a figure came to meet him. French drew Roger's arm into his, and the two walked away. The shadows of the wooded lane received them.
Elsie French looked down upon the sobbing Daphne, her own eyes full of tears, her hands clasped.
"Oh, you poor thing!" she said, under her breath. "You poor thing!" And she knelt down beside her and folded her arms round her.