him there had been no
heights to which he might not have attained, no splendour of
achievement, of renown, even of renunciation, which might not have been
reached before the closing cadence which is death had ended,
irrevocably, the symphony of life.

But not for him was this one supreme glory, the glory of an existence
spent with her. She had chosen otherwise--for one fiercely rebellious
moment he told himself he had been a fool, and worse, to enter on that
infamous bargain with Bruce Cheniston--and henceforth he must put away
all thoughts of her, must banish his dreams to that mysterious region
where our lost hopes lie--never, so far as we can see, to come to
fruition; unless, as some have thought, there shall be in another world
a great and marvellous country where lost causes shall be retrieved,
forlorn hopes justified, and the thousand and one pitiful mistakes we
make in our earthly blindness rectified at last.

* * * * *

The door opened suddenly, and Sir Richard's voice smote cheerily on his
ears.

"I've got the car, Anstice, and if you are ready----"

Anstice hastily replaced the photographs, face downwards on the table,
and turned to Sir Richard with a trace of confusion in his manner.

"The car there? Oh, yes, I'm ready. You would like me to drive?"

"If you will--then Fletcher can stop at home. You'll come back to dinner
with me, of course."

With some haste Anstice excused himself; and after a courteous
repetition of the invitation Sir Richard did not press the matter.

* * * * *

Mrs. Carstairs was at home, and alone; and in a moment the two men were
ushered into her pretty drawing-room, where she sat, book in hand, over
a dancing wood-fire.

She looked up in some surprise as the door opened to admit visitors; but
on seeing Sir Richard she rose with a welcoming smile.

"Sir Richard! How good of you to take pity on me on a day like this!"
She greeted the old man with almost daughterly affection; and then
turned to Anstice with a rather forced expression of cordiality.

"You, too, Dr. Anstice! How sorry Cherry will be to have missed you!"

"Is she in bed, then?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to say she was a naughty girl and was put to bed
immediately after tea!" She laughed a little, and Anstice asked,
smiling, what had been the extent of Cherry's latest misdemeanour.

"Oh, nothing very serious," said Chloe lightly. "It was really to soothe