But unlike the other men, who were all more or less in love with her, he had liked Colonel Crofton.

During his visit to Fildy Fe Manor, the liking had hardened into serious regard.

He had been surprised, rather distressed, to find how much less well-off they had appeared here, at home, than when the Colonel had been on so-called active service.

It had also become plain to him--though he was not a man to look out for such things--that the husband and wife were now on very indifferent terms, the one with the other, and, on the whole, he blamed the wife--and then, just before he had started for home again, had come the surprising news of Colonel Crofton's death! In her letter to one who was, after all, only an acquaintance, the young widow had gone into no details.

But, just by chance, Radmore had seen a paragraph in a week-old London paper containing an account of the inquest.