And he may have felt remorse--" "Remorse for what ?" "Remorse for giving the secret away and branding his daughter as illegitimate on the day that her mother was buried.

It has an ugly look, Constance, there's no getting away from that." He lapsed into silence, and awaited the effect of his words.

Mrs.
Pendleton pondered over them for some moments in manifest perturbation.
There was sufficient resemblance between Austin's conclusions and the thoughts which had impelled her nocturnal visit to Flint House, to sway her mind like a pendulum towards Austin's view.

But that only lasted for a moment.

Then she thrust the thought desperately from her.
"No, no; I cannot--I will not believe it!" she cried in an agitated voice.
"All this must have been in Robert's mind beforehand.