SANCTUARY
from his possible inroads.
"Do you think it quite fair to have deceived her in that way?"
Mr. Orme gave her a puzzled glance: he had no taste for the by-paths of ethical conjecture.
"His people wanted to give the poor fellow another chance: they did the best they could for him."
"And—he has done nothing dishonourable since?"
"Not that I know of: the last I heard was that they had a little boy, and that he was quite happy. At that distance he's not likely to bother us, at all events."
Long after Mr. Orme had left the topic, Kate remained lost in its contemplation. She had begun to perceive that the fair surface of life was honeycombed by a vast system of moral sewage. Every respectable household had its special arrangements for the private disposal of family scandals; it
[ 60 ]
