"What I want to say, Mr Bayle, is this. Don't you think you are making a mistake in staying away from your friends yonder?"

He sat without replying for some minutes.

"No," he said slowly. "I did not give up my visits there till after I had weighed the matter very carefully."

"But you seemed to come out with those two ladies as their guardian, and now, when they seem most to require your help and guidance, you leave them."

"Have you heard anything? Is anything wrong?"

"I have heard nothing, but I have seen a great deal, because I persist in visiting, in spite of Mr Hallam's objection to my presence."

"I say, my dear, that man is always civil to you, I hope?" cried Otway sharply.

"My dear Jack, be quiet," said Mrs Otway. "Of course he is. I visit there because I have good reasons for so doing."

"Tell me," said Bayle anxiously.

"I have seen a great deal," continued Mrs Otway: "but it all comes to one point." Bayle looked at her inquiringly. "That it is very dreadful for those two sweet, delicate women to have come out here to such a fate. The man is dreadful!"

"They will redeem him," said Bayle huskily. "Poor wretch! he has had a terrible experience. This convict life is worse than capital punishment. We must be patient, Mrs Otway. The habits of a number of years are not got rid of in a few months. He will change."

"Will he?" said Mrs Otway shortly.

"Yes; they will, as I said before, redeem him. The man has great natural love for his wife and child."

"Do you think this?"

"Yes, yes!" he cried excitedly, as he got up and began to pace the verandah. "I stop away because my presence was like a standing reproach to him. The abstinence gives me intense pain, but my going tended to make them unhappy, and caused constraint, so I stop away."

"And so you think that they will raise him to their standard, do you?"

said Mrs Otway dryly.

"Yes, I do," he cried fervently. "It is only a matter of time."

"How can you be so self-deceiving?" she cried quickly. "He is dragging them down to his level."

"Oh, hush!" cried Bayle pa.s.sionately. Then mastering his emotion, he continued in his old, firm, quiet way: "No, no; you must not say that.

He could not. It is impossible."

"Yes. You are wrong there, Bel," said the Captain. "Mrs Hallam is made of too good stuff."

"I give in," said Mrs Otway, nodding. "Yes, you two are right. He could not bring that sweet woman down to his level; but all this is very terrible. The man is giving himself up to a life of sensuality.

Drinking and feasting with that companion of his. There is gambling going on too at night with friends of his own stamp. What a life this is for a refined lady and her child!"

Bayle spoke calmly, but he wiped the great drops of sweat from his brow.

"What can I do?" he said. "I am perfectly helpless."

"I confess I don't know," said Mrs Otway, with a sigh. "Only you and Sir Gordon must be at hand to help them in any emergency."

"Emergency! What do you mean?" anxiously.

"_I_ don't know what may occur. Who knows? Women are so weak," sighed Mrs Otway; "once they place their faith in a man, they follow him to the end of the world."

"That's true, Bayle, old fellow--to convict stations, and become slaves," said the Captain.

"Mr Bayle," said Mrs Otway suddenly. "I am under a promise to my old friend, Lady Eaton, and I have done my best to oppose it all; but you have seen how deeply attached Phil Eaton has become to Miss Hallam?"

"Yes," said Bayle slowly, and he was very pale now, "I have seen it."

"He shall not marry her if I can prevent it, much as I love the girl, for it would be a terrible _mesalliance_; but he is desperately fond of her, and, as my husband here says, he has taken the bit in his teeth, and he will probably travel his own way."

"Don't you get fathering your coa.r.s.e expressions on me," growled the Captain; but no one heeded him.

"As I say, he shall not marry her if I can stop it; but suppose he should be determined, and could get the father's consent, would you and Sir Gordon raise any opposition?"

"Lieutenant Eaton is an officer and a gentleman."

"He is a true-hearted lad, Mr Bayle, and I love him dearly," said Mrs Otway. "Only that he is fighting hard between love and duty he would have been carrying on the campaign by now; but you must allow Fort Robert Hallam is a terrible one to storm and garrison afterwards, for it has to be retained for life."

"I understand your meaning," said Bayle, speaking very slowly. "It is a terrible position for Mr Eaton to be in."

"Should you oppose it?"

"I have no authority whatever," said Bayle in the same low, dreamy tone.

"If I had, I should never dream of opposing anything that was for Miss Hallam's good."

"And it would be, to get her away from such a.s.sociations, Mr Bayle."

"Lady Eaton! Lady Eaton!" said the Captain in warning.

"Hush, Jack! pray."

"Yes," said Bayle; "it would be for Miss Hallam's benefit; but it would nearly break her mother's heart."

"She would have to make a sacrifice for the sake of the child."

"Yes," said Bayle softly. "Another sacrifice;" and then softly to himself, "how long? how long?"

He rose, and was gravely bidding his friends good-bye, when a sharp, quick step was heard, and Eaton came in, coloured like a girl on seeing Bayle, hesitated, and then held out his hand.

Bayle shook it warmly and left the verandah, Eaton walking with him to the gate.

"Jack," said Mrs Otway softly, "it's my belief that the parson loves Julia Hallam himself."

"You think so?"

"I'm sure of it."