Better anything than a marriage which would handicap him all his life! But would it be so great a handicap?
After all, beauty counted for much! If only her story were not too conspicuous! But what was her story?
Not to know it was absurd! That was the worst of people who were not in Society, it was so difficult to find out! And there rose in her that almost brutal resentment, which ferments very rapidly in those who from their youth up have been hedged round with the belief that they and they alone are the whole of the world.

In this mood Lady Valleys passed the letter to her daughters.

They read, and in turn handed it to Bertie, who in silence returned it to his mother.
But that evening, in the billiard-room, having manoeuvred to get him to herself, Barbara said to Courtier: "I wonder if you will answer me a question, Mr.Courtier ?" "If I may, and can." Her low-cut dress was of yew-green, with, little threads of flame-colour, matching her hair, so that there was about her a splendour of darkness and whiteness and gold, almost dazzling; and she stood very still, leaning back against the lighter green of the billiard-table, grasping its edge so tightly that the smooth strong backs of her hands quivered.
"We have just heard that Miltoun is going to ask Mrs.Noel to marry him.
People are never mysterious, are they, without good reason?
I wanted you to tell me--who is she ?" "I don't think I quite grasp the situation," murmured Courtier.

"You said--to marry him ?" Seeing that she had put out her hand, as if begging for the truth, he added: "How can your brother marry her--she's married!" "Oh!" "I'd no idea you didn't know that much." "We thought there was a divorce." The expression of which mention has been made--that peculiar white-hot sardonically jolly look--visited Courtier's face at once.

"Hoist with their own petard! The usual thing.