-bye." The women had already embraced, and this was
not repeated; but Mrs. Jordan went down with her guest to the door of the
house. Here again the younger lingered, reverting, though three or four
other remarks had on the way passed between them, to Captain Everard and
Lady Bradeen. "Did you mean just now that if she hadn't saved him, as
you call it, she wouldn't hold him so tight?"

"Well, I dare say." Mrs. Jordan, on the doorstep, smiled with a
reflexion that had come to her; she took one of her big bites of the
brown gloom. "Men always dislike one when they've done one an injury."

"But what injury had he done her?"

"The one I've mentioned. He _must_ marry her, you know."

"And didn't he want to?"

"Not before."

"Not before she recovered the telegram?"

Mrs. Jordan was pulled up a little. "Was it a telegram?"

The girl hesitated. "I thought you said so. I mean whatever it was."

"Yes, whatever it was, I don't think she saw _that_."

"So she just nailed him?"

"She just nailed him." The departing friend was now at the bottom of the
little flight of steps; the other was at the top, with a certain
thickness of fog. "And when am I to think of you in your little
home?--next month?" asked the voice from the top.

"At the very latest. And when am I to think of you in yours?"

"Oh even sooner. I feel, after so much talk with you about it, as if I
were already there!" Then "_Good_-bye!" came out of the fog.

"Good-_bye_!" went into it. Our young lady went into it also, in the
opposed quarter, and presently, after a few sightless turns, came out on
the Paddington canal. Distinguishing vaguely what the low parapet
enclosed she stopped close to it and stood a while very intently, but
perhaps still sightlessly, looking down on it. A policeman; while she
remained, strolled past her; then, going his way a little further and
half lost in the atmosphere, paused and watched her. But she was quite
unaware--she was full of her thoughts. They were too numerous to find a
place just here, but two of the number may at least be mentioned. One of
these was that, decidedly, her little home must be not for next month,
but for next week; the other, which came indeed as she resumed her walk
and went her way, was that it was strange such a matter should be at last
settled for her by Mr. Drake

***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE CAGE***

******* This file should be named 1144.txt or 1144.zip