I felt the truth⁠—the disheartening truth⁠—of those words. But I could not bring myself plainly to acknowledge it to her. In our dreadful position there was no help and no hope for us but in risking the worst. I said so in guarded terms. She sighed bitterly, but did not contest the matter. She only asked about the second letter that I had proposed writing. To whom was it to be addressed?

“To

Mr.

Fairlie,” I said. “Your uncle is your nearest male relative, and the head of the family. He must and shall interfere.”