His lordship had given her no instructions.

Part of his seeming to understand her was that he had seemed to be sure that she would know what to say and what to leave unsaid.

She was glad of that because it left her free to think the thing over and make her own quiet plans.

She drew more than one tremulous sigh as she thought it out.

In the first place--little Miss Robin seemed like a baby to her yet! Oh, she _was_ a baby! Little Miss Robin just in her teens and with her childish asking eyes and her soft childish mouth! Her a young married lady and needing to be taken care of! She was too young to be married--if it was ever so! And if everything had been done all right and proper with wedding cake and veil, orange blossoms and St.George's, Hanover Square, she still would have been too young and would have looked almost cruelly like a child.
And at a time such as this Dowie would have known she was one to be treated with great delicacy and tender reserve.