ntly gave to sleep in the day-time what he had stolen from it in the night watches. The first object that met

t the eye could scarcely meet its reflections. Here was a crystal in whose depths were

ure to his telescope manufactory at the homes

n he lingered about uncertainly, in the hope of intercepting her on her return from a drive, occasionally walking with an indifferent lounge across glades commanded by the windows, that if she were in-doors she might know he was near. But she did not

, and to-night was such an occasion. Swithin went forward, and met her

ady Constantine. How did t

that he had come to her in this wa

ped from the clouds

u be so good t

deserves anothe

lt from this shall be ascribed to you as much as

en so much the nobler for your struggle against ill-luck. I hope that now you

oo much feeling, the reverse of stoical, when the

ur age. When you are older you will smile at such

ill never realize that an incident which filled but a degree in the circle of your thoughts covere

unded his feelings. She awoke in the night, and thought and thought on the same thing, till she had worked herself into a fever

the labours of the day, and I fear that watching so late at night must make you very weary. If I can help you again, please let me know. I never realized the grandeur of astronomy till you showed me how to do so. Also let me k

e Const

y in so curious a case. The door, as she had expected, was locked; and, slipping the letter under it, she went home again. During lunch her ardour in the cau

rly into the chink under the door. She could discern no letter, and, on trying the latch, found

She had, in short, in her own opinion, somewhat overstepped the bounds of dignity. Her instinc

ve been sufficient to divert her mind from Swithin St. Cleeve and astronomy for some little time. But as none of these incidents were within the range of exp

t; but his counter-move of silence and avoidance, though probably the result of pure unconsciousness on his part, completely dispersed such self-considerations now. Her eyes never fell upon the Rings-Hill column without a solicitous wonder arising as to what he was doing. A true woman, she would assume the remo

whom she was fond. The distance was but short; and she returned along a narrow lane, divided from the river by a hedge, through whose leaf

hen he heard her, and turned round. She

though I invited you,'

won't work!' he re

t. So it has made y

ve answered. Well, I did forget, Lady Constantine. My new tele

ist you an

esides, you have a

out of all your difficulti

ok his

be some solu

l gaze into the stream; 'some solution

t's

th's axis, and fitted up with graduated circles for denoting right ascensions and declinations; besides having special eye-pieces, a finder, and all sorts of

ne instrument required

l, y

e what I

astronomer, 'an equatorial such as I des

s; but she rallied gallantly, and sa

! It would have to be fixed to the masonry. And there must be

hough as far as the fixing and roofing go, I would of course consent to your do

Blount say, if he came ho

r cheek. 'Ah-my husband!' she whispered. . . . 'I am just now going to churc

sure. The course of rendering him instant material help began to have a great fascination for her; it was a new and unexpected channel for her cribbed and confined emotions. With experiences so much wider than his, Lady Constantine saw that the chances were perhaps a million to one against Swithin St. Cleeve ever being Astronomer Royal, or Astronomer Extraordinary of any sort; yet the remainin

rks she had been able to unearth from the worm-eaten shelves. As these publications were, for a science of such rapid development, somewhat venerable, there was not much help of a

Welland Bottom, where the homestead of Swithin's grandmother was situated,

morning, instead of the leaden air which was too frequent with her before the sun reached the meridian, and s