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"But wouldn't his family do anything for him?" cried Lesley. "Surely they didn't leave you to struggle like that to support their son."

"Oh, his family would have nothing to do with him, or with me, or with my boy."

"But that's abominable!" Lesley's eyes were flashing globes of fire and water. "Oh, Mrs. Gailey, what a terrible time you must have had!"

"It wasn't too good."

"How glad I am that you've come here! I do hope you'll be happy and like the job."

Rosamund looked away, conscious again of that embarrassment which only one other person in the world could make her feel. Only Michael could pull her up like this with a sudden jerk of compunction. She had the strange feeling that Lesley was at her mercy, just as Michael was, made vulnerable by innocence. Her goodness of heart was an exposure that should not be taken advantage of. Though still determined to leave her, she was no longer pleased with herself about it.

They set out directly after breakfast for Waters Farm, and Rosamund found herself returning to a more comfortable attitude of amused contempt as Lesley bored her with a flood of breathless talk that was no longer about people.