It had verily come from him at last, the question of whether she thought it would be very good--but very good indeed--that he should leave England for a series of weeks, on some pretext, with the Prince.

Then it had been that she was to know her husband's "menace" hadn't really dropped, since she was face to face with the effect of it.

Ah, the effect of it had occupied all the rest of their walk, had stayed out with them and come home with them, besides making it impossible that they shouldn't presently feign to recollect how rejoining the child had been their original purpose.

Maggie's uneffaced note was that it had, at the end of five minutes more, driven them to that endeavour as to a refuge, and caused them afterwards to rejoice, as well, that the boy's irrepressibly importunate company, in due course secured and enjoyed, with the extension imparted by his governess, a person expectant of consideration, constituted a cover for any awkwardness.

For that was what it had all come to, that the dear man had spoken to her to TRY her--quite as he had been spoken to himself by Charlotte, with the same fine idea.