of him as brutal or not fine; and now it was for him,
Henry, to bring back happiness to his darling and to his old friend.

He sat down in a chair beside the fire and set himself to think. To have
to take some decided course came as a relief. He would go out into the
village and telegraph to Michael to come to Heronac at once. He was in
Paris, staying at the Ritz, he knew; he could be there to-morrow--on
Christmas Day! Surely that was well, when peace and good-will towards
men should be over all the earth--and he, Henry, would meet him at the
house of the Pere Anselme and explain all to him, and then take him back
to Sabine. He would not see her again until then.

He found telegraph forms on his writing-table and rapidly wrote out his
message. "Come immediately by first train, meet me at house of Pere
Anselme, a matter of gravest importance to you and Sabine," and he
signed it "Fordyce." Then he firmly controlled himself and went off with
it into the night.

The cold air struck his face and confronted him with its fierceness; the
wind was getting up; to-morrow the waves would again be rough.

The village was not far away, and he soon had reached his goal and sent
the telegram. Then he stopped at the _presbytere_. He must speak once
more to the priest. The Pere Anselme led him in to his bare little
parlor and drew him to the warm china stove. It was only two hours since
they had parted, but Lord Fordyce looked like an old man.

"I have come to tell you, my Father," he said, "that I know all of the
story now, and it is terrible enough; but I want you to help me to
secure her happiness. Michael Arranstoun is her husband, as you
supposed, and she loves him." The old priest nodded his head
comprehendingly, and Henry went on. "They only parted to save me pain.
It was a tremendous sacrifice which, of course, I cannot accept. So now
I have sent for him, and I want you to let me meet him here at your
house, and explain everything to him to-morrow before he sees her. I
hope, if he gets my telegram in time, he will catch the train from Paris
at midnight to-night; it gets in about nine in the morning. Then they
can be happy on Christmas Day."

"You have done nobly, my son," and the Pere Anselme lifted his hand in
blessing. "It is very merciful that this has been in time. You will not
be permitted to suffer beyond your strength since you have done well.
The good God is beyond all things, just. My home is at your service--And
h