re surprised to have seen and heard nothing of you," wrote the Duchess; "more especially as after the fe
erd, I suppose; at the same time (although I assure you she has not said a word upon the subject) I can say that dear Ethel feels herself a wee bit neg
ng rooms, totally forgetting his promise to es
useless to argue with himself, to bring commonsense to bear upon the point, to count up the advantages to be derived from this union
ainly come tardily, bu
ed, worn, and unemotional though he might be, he knew that he was yet capable of a much deeper fee
e to shut his eyes to the trouble. He thought of Bella as she was when he had first married her; he recalled
eyes grew blurred and dim as he gazed at it. He repeated mentally phrases which had fallen fro
total absence of which in the old days had made his little sweetheart so conspicuously different from her environment. She wore now the impress of evil, from her Regent
d wonder just a little how much of real heart beat under the dainty laces that shrouded Lady Ethel's bosom. He had reflected once and not so long ago that that portion of a woman's anatomy was superfluous, but he wavered in his belief now. He could stake his professional honour, his hopes of eternity-of-e
nce full of meaning, "now I suppose you young people hav
emselves across the floor and the
ver's face. There was nothing else for it, and he took the plunge valiantly-and with precisely the correct amount of maidenly
ion yawn behind her fan, and realised de
h yourself, and grave and sad even beyond my ye
d deal of surprise, and a fr
y-gone age. It would be boring to the last degree. One must take pleasure just as much as sorrow, with a certain amount of equa
if she were capable of any great depth of feeling. But he did not say now as he would hav
ime he told himself that the beautifully moulded mouth was hard and unloving, and that
to change
visit Switzerland o
like human nature best; it is much more interesti
all means," he hastened to reply,
r two later, when mother and daughter were
ch better that subject s
it can only be right and proper that I should be made aw
mother knew by past experience that it
lieve, and she ran away with someone else. Really providential,
lain Mr.
ate that he did not get his baronetcy earlier, for had he
he felt her d
y for some time before, and the general impr
him when he asked your
y as possible, of course. I believe I said, 'your
at did
s aware that it added to the disparity bet
d y
t was no reason why he should not win and hold the love of a good girl, and that because of the
but did it not occur to you th
ow
John is a man who
you cannot doubt the sincerity of his pr
ghter l
king is the most boring process imaginable; but still, I should prefer, I m
I know; at all events, she left England before he obtained his divorce, and no one has heard
know, the Duchess
street off the Strand, idly striking a note here and there and humming the air of a
sure I was not so bad as this three months ago-not so bad when-he never came. Ah! why
, looking precisely the same as on that memorable night when they had been the innocent cause of so much trouble to Bella's husband. The old m
la, you loo
much as I could do to pull through to-night,
r," said Mrs. Doss, looking dist
ld, I fancy; but I'll be a
om the front to-night-and-well, I guess it
and looked sharply
y, don't be afraid, out with it. I suppose y
tempt, and ended in a fit of coughing which
onately; "you must not excite yourself; w
d exhausted, and when the Dosses at len
for to-night?" she
hought it as well to put you on your guard; but find
you mean? He's no
stared
ow; you know that as well as I do! you are treatin
back again
g about Charlie, a
re isn't no one else as wants to ma
t of its mark. Bell
Saidie continued presently; "for if what has come to Doss's ears is t
earth do
ting dissatisfied, and
ace flushe
ths. They cannot cancel it, you must know they can't, and it's not very likely
ble to fulfil your s
g to put up with any hanky-panky, he's jolly well mistaken. Let him try it on, that's all! I s
ooked from the front; and others have got their eyesigh
-that's what you
was s
all stop me. I shall just defy them all, and g
'York with the intention of marrying you; a man who is earning his hundred dollars a week, and you turn up your nose at him. I can't unders
red Bella, and her lip quivered, and t
ad never left-Jack
to the insane folly of any such speech, the result of which was that Bella wep
ublic until at length what Saidie had predicted came to pass, and she received a formal notic
her at the time she received the notic
' indeed! They shall find out who they are dealing with. It would be ruin for me, it would simply spoil my career. I shall go down at once and see
f I were you," said
? You must be dreaming. It i
a pathetic glance of his b
s turn out; don't do anything in a 'urry-
asy, I say," chimed
for. Show me what is to be gained b
ell you what we was thinking o
ter well over, was my motto as a boy. It saves a peck o' bother and a deal
n't I have a sister what killed herself fussing! Fussed herself into the grave, she di
o fulfil my engagement? and I s
you are, and so heverybody says. You want a th
me. I may surely be allowed to be the best judge of my own state of health. I shall not wa
n Mrs. Doss said in a coaxing way, "If you mus
hesi
ht; but if you're going to hum and haw and look grave, and
rs to the bedroom, where Bella arrayed herself in total silenc
, and the ladies were at onc
now what all this means. You cannot dismiss me at a moment's notice,
n your present state of health you are not up to
y, "does anybody else say I
edingly sorry that we brought you over from America and then are compell
out his hands with
rant; but you must let me sing the new song-you really must; I'm a naile
id not look so very ill this morning; perhaps after all, things had been exagger
id, "and let me come on for on
think, if you were to have an
to step into my shoes!
otice; and if you are desirous of returning to your frie
here," said Bella simply; "m
e you are sufficiently recovered to do your work properly, well and
lly been no chance of getting in a word; and when the manager rose to his feet to intimate that
You saw how soon he caved in. It is not a question of my health at all; you ma
iculty. Now that the excitement was over and the neces
n," she said, "or I shall not be at my po
" said kindly Mrs. Doss to her spouse a
. "I can't 'elp thinking you might ha' managed things better. If Bella Blackall go