ned
safe and sound?"

Laurence replied that they had. But for all his outward equability, his
impatience was amounting to torment. Even while he talked his ears were
strained to catch the sound of a light step without. How would Lilith
look? he wondered. Would these four years have left their mark upon her?

"And how is your niece, Miss Ormskirk?" he went on.

"Lilith? Oh, but--by the way, she is not 'Miss Ormskirk' now. She is
married."

"Oh, is she? I hadn't heard. After all, one forgets how time slips by."

That was all. It was a shock--possibly a hard one; but of late Laurence
Stanninghame had been undergoing a steady training for meeting such.
Mrs. Falkner--who had made the communication not without some qualm, for
she had been put very much up to the former state of things, both by her
nephew, George, and certain "signs of the times," not altogether to be
dissimulated, however bravely Lilith had borne herself after that
parting now so far back--felt relieved and in a measure a trifle
disappointed, for, womanlike, she dearly loved romance. But the man
before her had not turned a hair, had not even changed colour at the
intelligence. It could not really matter, she decided--which was as well
for him, but for herself disappointing.

"Yes--she married her cousin George, my nephew. You remember him," she
went on. "I was against it for a long time; but, after all, I believe it
was the saving of him, poor fellow, he was so wildly in love with her.
He was simply going to the dogs. Yes, it was the saving of him."

"That's satisfactory, anyway," said Laurence, as though he were
discussing the fortunes of any two people whose names he had just heard
for the first time. But meanwhile his mind was inwardly avenging itself
upon its outward self-control. For vividly, and as though spoken into
his ears, there seemed to float fragments of those farewell words
uttered there in that room: "_You have drawn my very heart and soul into
yours.... Oh, it is too bitter! Laurence, my darling--my love, my life,
my ideal, good-bye--and good-bye!_"

Well, the foolish dream had been a pleasant one while it lasted. Nay,
more,--in all seriousness it had borne momentous fruit,--for no less
than three times had that episode--yes, now it seemed a mere
episode--intervened between him and death.

"Lilith will be so glad to see you when you are passing through; for of
course you will be returning home again. They have taken a bungalow at
Ka