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attainments, travelled, and easy in his ways. A man for men to smoke, and chat, and ride with, but who seldom spoke to women; and so women spoke much of him, and baited for his love with silly little gauds that showed the glitter of the hook so plainly that he passed on, and left them half angry, half disconsolate. But not so to all. To the outer world he seemed all this; but there were those who had read the volume through, and at the final page had come to know him as he was; and of these, none better than Adelaide Gawton.

For nearly a year past the world had coupled their names; first in a tremble of delight to see the white flesh peeping through the armour that had so long defied its lances; then all expectancy for the crash that was bound to be when planets such as these turn vagrant; and, lastly, a dull monotony of whispers, turning down of eyes when they were near, the mute reproaches of a world that felt itself so hardly used. There were

no outward signs; a faithful cavalier; useful to sit a horse beside her in the Park, and save her from the attendance of a groom; or take her to the theatres when the play was long, and Jack was tired and preferred his dressing-gown at home; a pleasant friend to sit by at the dinners the world required to be eaten; some one at least to talk to, whoever sat at the other side; and the dear, knowing world would always seat them thus together, and do its little best to fan the spark it longed to see ablaze.

Relf had walked up to the Gawtons in the afternoon, and had driven down in her brougham to Club Chambers.

'You are so silent to-night,' he said, as the carriage turned out of the Park.

VOL. XXV.-NO. CXLV.

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care nothing for the world and what it says. I think it no disgrace to you that you are poor.'

'You do not, I know; but I do. How could I face their sneers?'

'I think that I could face them.'

'Yes, because you are a woman; it's only men must not be poor.'

'Philip, if I were a man, and saw another man sneer at me, or talk or look against me, I'd kill him.' Her voice sounded low and distant; but there was that in its tone that made him almost shudder.

'Yes; it's easy to think these things when there is no chance of doing them.'

'No chance of doing them!' She had turned quickly towards him, speaking eagerly, fiercely. Then as his eyes fell before her, she went on,'But I forget that I am a woman. Women don't kill; they only sting, and bite, and fall, and die. It is you men that fight, and rule, and push the world along; and yet you cannot face a sneer.' Then the brougham stopped and she wrapped her shawl about her and stepped out; and so upstairs to Arthur Shaine's apartments.

He met them on the threshold, with pleasant smile and outstretched hand.

'How do you do, my dear Mrs. Gawton?' grasping her ungloved hand. So glad you are come; we began to be afraid that you were going to disappoint us.'

F

'Really! I did not know that my coming or not coming was of so much interest to your friends.'

'You must not think so badly of us as all that; I assure you we have thought a great deal about your coming.'

'How very kind of you.'

'We thought you might have found that you had some engagement, for of course this little affair to-night is nothing: I could not expect you to give up anything else for it.'

'Oh! how stupid you are! Of course I came because I had promised; besides, I was obliged to see Jack off.' Then she went round the room, shaking hands in silence, or with the faintest attempts at 'How do you do?' upon her lips.

Relf had joined Jansen on the hearth-rug: Jack Gawton was inside, superintending his packing.

'How do you do, Mr. Jansen ?' said Mrs. Gawton, holding out her hand as the little man smirked and bowed. 'I'm quite tired of shaking hands; yours must really be the last. What glorious diamonds!' And she bent her head to look at them, till her dark hair seemed to touch their owner's face.

The others had gathered a little apart, and were watching her in silence. From the time she had entered, no one had spoken but herself and Arthur Shaine. It was as if a sudden chill had fallen on all there and frozen them-some strange spell that tangled its web about their tongues and left them speechless.

And yet Adelaide Gawton came with no such thoughts towards them; her greatest enemy could not have more annoyed her than to have prevented her from forming one of the party at Arthur Shaine's. For the past week she had looked forward to it, and had spoken of it with anticipation of

pleasure. Shaine was an old and a dear friend, a man she looked upon as a brother, or more, always in a brotherly direction. She had a considerable curiosity to see the inside of the sacred Club Chambers, and had been accompanied thither by her own particular friend Relf; and yet the instant the faces assembled there to welcome her were seen, she chilled, and froze, and thrust back all her warm, kind woman's heart, stifled her pleasant thoughts, and masked herself with that she hated, and yet could not tear aside.

'How nice it is that you are able to afford such beautiful things,' she was saying, with her eyes still fixed upon the diamonds.

'Ah! it is my hobby-my little extravagance; and when the ladies admire, am I not repaid?'

"They must be very valuable, they are so large, and seem so clear and bright; you are rich to buy such ornaments.'

Ah, no; not rich, as you English people are; but I spend a little; and then I have no wife, no children; only these rooms, and George to wait; it is not much.'

'Yet you are rich!' she went on, without heeding him, more as if speaking to herself than answering his apologies. 'It is pleasant to be so, and to do good; to be generous to oneself and to others; is it not?' Her thoughts were back again in the brougham, musing on the words Relf had spoken.

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who honoured him, for the sake of the little beggar that he was good to.'

She turned to Arthur with a smile.

'We know who the good Fairy is, that walks the streets with pockets full of shillings-the Fairy in a frock-coat.' And she raised her eyes, and laughed so gaily that the rest joined in, and banished the ice to the cellars in a moment. 'Now tell me who this new foundling is.'

'Only a child I spoke to; a little child; nothing to make so many words about.'

Yet she was not to be put off, but persisted in her questions till she fairly sat him down upon the sofa, and was soon lost in listening to his story.

'What a good temper she is in to-night!' whispered Bella to her sister. I was afraid we were in for a scene at first.'

Relf, who had gone into the next room, now returned with Jack Gawton, whom he had unearthed from his packing.

Jack Gawton was in a good humour; no wonderful thing for him, but still in a humour that was noticeable as more than usually good. Perhaps the thoughts of his continental trip might have had something to do with it, or the few whispered words with Mrs. Stanley; any way, he was in capital spirits.

'What's the matter with you, Jack?' called out his wife demurely, as he was laughing at some words of Bella Lestrange. 'Nothing particular, Ada; only a little joke that Bella made.'

'And are Bella's jokes too profound for us poor outsiders ?-may we not enjoy them also?' She spoke in a cold, biting tone that was meant to hurt, and did.

centre of the gathering, flushed up scarlet, and rose to defend herself.

'I'm sure, Adelaide, you need not be so cross; if you don't like me to speak to Jack, why don't you say so?' And she turned away to her sister, half frightened at the sound of her own angry voice.

'Come, Ada,' chimed in Gawton, 'there's no great harm done; Bella's jokes are so very mild.' And he came across the room and sat beside his wife, making an attempt to place his arm round her waist. But she held him away, and turned aside, and would none of his peace-making.

'Very mild, I should imagine, but they seem to amuse you. You might as well have spoken to me, I think, before you began making

love to Bella.

Oh, don't deny it;

I'm used to it now; it's not the first time!' And she shut her lips, and looked as cold and unforgiving as could be.

'Well, Ada, if you will take it so you must, though I really don't see what there is to complain of. You don't object to my speaking to Bella, surely?'

'Oh, dear, no; I don't object!' 'But, Ada

There, that is enough; don't make a scene before these people, pray!'

'But I'm not making a scene,' persisted Jack, growing red, and ever so little angry.

'You are, I tell you; but it is always so with you: any fresh face, and you are off to it at once.'

'But Bella's face is not fresh to me.'

'We have said quite enough about it! Look how the people are staring! I won't have a scene made.' And she got up and walked across to the window, and looked out vacantly into the fog. (To be continued.)

Bella, thus finding herself the

I

MARRIED, OR MARRED?

AM told, O my love, thou hast married,
And I guessed thou wast marred;
Could'st thou not for a season have tarried,
Ere thy freedom was barred?

I was poor, I was thwarted by distance-
Out of sight, out of mind;

There was no one to offer assistance
To the deaf and the blind.

For I heard not, I saw not misfortune,

I was voiceless and far;

Did I know, should I care to importune
So fallen a star?

Yet perchance had I dreamed of disaster,
I had spared not to speak;

I had flown to thy rescuing faster,
To print shame on thy cheek.

Dost forget all the vows that we plighted,
And the ring that we broke;

That thou among women hast blighted
The sweet life love awoke?

Dost remember the hours that we wandered

With hand clasped in hand,

And the fears for our future we pondered,

In the dusk of the land?

O the kisses, the sighs, the embraces,
With the tears that would start!

Have they left not a touch of their traces
In the hush of thy heart?

Hast thou gone into gloom of forgetting,
In the lapse of thy course?

Hast thou past beyond pangs of regretting,
Beyond reach of remorse?

In the past, or the future, or present,

Is thy haven of light?

Is the harvest about thee so pleasant,

That thou reapest delight?

And the churl that thy beauty has brightened,

In his parish and school

Though the load on thy soul is not lightenedIs he knave or a fool?

I am told he is rich and a rector,

Fond of pigs and of port;

And there's use in a saintly protector,

Up in heaven or at court.

After dinner, they say, he gets fuddled,

And he needs to be fanned;

While his tithings and wenches are muddled, With the sermon on hand.

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