His love for Lilian was the deepest his life would know.

Till now, he had not understood how unspeakably precious she was to him; for the most part he had treated her with playful good-humour, seldom, if ever, striking the note of passion in his speech.

With this defect he reproached himself.

Lilian had not learnt to trust him sufficiently; she feared the result upon him of such a blow as Northway had it in his power to inflict.

It was thus he interpreted her suicide, for Mrs.Wade had told him that Lilian believed disaster to be imminent.