inaccessible to the face of him who had swayed her on flood and ebb so long, incapable of tender pity, even for herself. All she could feel was a harsh joy to have struck off her tyrant's fet

too late.' Those words were the sum and voice of her long term of endurance. She said them hurriedly, almost in a wh

nt reproachfulness in the words; and perhaps they

ening to tales of m

ays be friends, th

with eyes in my head? The colonel is opposed to me of course: he will learn to understand me better: but you and I! we cannot be mere friends. It's like daylight blotted out-or the eyes gone blind:-Too late? Can you repeat it? I tried to warn you before you left England: I should have written a letter to put you on your guard against my enemies:

t her situation required further explanations; fascinated and unnerved

ect to a wa

ng to the Western wood. Beauchamp swung the gate open. He cast a look a

r hair in sunless light. 'There are flowers that grow only in certain valleys, and your home is Mount Laurels, whatever your fancy may be f

r heart had entered on a course of hea

me to her, but this

m, pretty words as they are. Between the vulgarity of romantic language, and the baldness of commonplace, it seemed to her that our English gives us no choice; that we cannot be dignified in simplicity. And for some reason, feminine and remote, she now detested her 'hand' so much as to be unable to bring herself to the metonymic mention of it. The lady's difficulty was peculiar to sweet natures that have no great warmth of passion; i

champ's latest words on her

ill water ran between them. As in other days, there hung her hand: but not to be taken. Incredible as it was, the icy sense of his having lost her benumbed him. Her beautiful fac

t give me on

d extricated herself, 'I am engage

exist. As for Blackburn Tuckham, I have nothing against him. He's an honourable fellow enough, and would govern Great Britain as men of that rich middle-class rule their wives-with a strict regard for ostensible humanity

lly. I have no longer the r

ave been distracted by things that kept me from thinking of myself and my wishes: and love's a selfish business while . . . while one has work in hand. It's clear I can't do two things at a time-make love and carry on my taskwork. I have been idle for weeks. I believed you were mine and wanted no lovemaking. There's no folly in that, if you understand me at all. As for vanity about women, I 've outlived it. In comparison with you I'm poor, I k

f, and beg you to c

ilia! I love your name. I love this too:

n locket and showed h

construction, I fear. I have not even the right to listen to you. I am . .

mocking effort to sustain him. The greater wounds do not immediately co

n earnest?

es

ur fre

es

open windows, trailing a newspaper like a pocket-hand

one of our ironclads,'

lost,

it's the Hastings. If these are our defences, at a cost of half a million

n the telegram at a glance. 'Peppel's a first-rate officer too:

k the paper t

to say that he had fo

y ship, the Hastings, along the broad water, distant below them. The 'swarms of swift vessels of attack,' she recollected particularly, and 'small wasps and rams under mighty steam- power,' that he used to harp on when declaring that Englan

pect possibly excited it: 'Congratulate me!' was the honest outcry of his face and frame. He was as over- flowingly rosy as a victorious candidate at the hustings commencing a speech. Cecilia laid her hand on an urn, in dread of the next words from

paper, colonel? I've n

or the sake

el Halkett replied. 'Our diplomatists haven

r field for

bes in India, and we're such a peaceful nation, eh? W

we must sell

e's a man writing about

d we can't

el, and entirely ignorant of the circumstances attending Beauchamp's position before him.

inst our traders. Gibraltar

his millions of acres of productive land, and the action of commerce is merel

ve enough of China. As to the Rock, I know the argument; I may be wrong.

there w

t so ce

argument, I c

nd a narrow. There's the Spanish view of the matte

m n

ngthen you

bit o

to the strong; consent to be hated

al

s to me

ench notion-c'

caused Cecilia to level

rors in the paper to-day; wife kickings, and starvations-o

nsible for!' said Tuckham, rather

sponsibility of every crime committed in the country, and every condition of misery, upon the party which declined to move

nd so long as you won't stir to amend them, I hold

th a visible fi

g at the monstrousnes

nant rejoinder to: 'Ma

dea in it,' s

foaming at the

uth,' said Mr. Austin, smiling. 'The party accusing in those terms . . . what

nal that a lady could read through without offence to her, or a gentleman without disgust! If there was not one English newspaper in existence independent of circulation and advertisements, and of the tricks to win them, the Tories were answerable for the vacancy. They, being the rich who, if they chose, could set an exam

isfied with my pape

fied,' he said. His pure and mighty DAWN was in his

e hoped to pull her through with the aid of high feeding. He alluded cursorily to a young girl living on the outskirts of the town, whom he had been cal

ecipitated Beauchamp to the

no harm by avoiding it. I think vegetarianism a humaner system, and hope it may be wise. I should like to set the poor prac

e point. It 's all very well while you are in health. You may do without meat till your system demands the stimulant, or else-as with this poor girl! And, indeed, Captain Beauchamp, if I may venture the remark-I h

turned on