perceive that out of this position he could frame an admissible, if not
an unimpeachable, reason for calling upon Ethelberta. He determined to
do so at once, and obtain the required permission by word of mouth.

He was greatly surprised, when the front of the house appeared in view on
this spring afternoon, to see what a white and sightless aspect pervaded
all the windows. He came close: the eyeball blankness was caused by all
the shutters and blinds being shut tight from top to bottom. Possibly
this had been the case for some time--he could not tell. In one of the
windows was a card bearing the announcement, 'This House to be let
Furnished.' Here was a merciless clash between fancy and fact.
Regretting now his faint-heartedness in not letting her know beforehand
by some means that he was about to make a new start in the world, and
coming to dwell near her, Christopher rang the bell to make inquiries. A
gloomy caretaker appeared after a while, and the young man asked whither
the ladies had gone to live. He was beyond measure depressed to learn
that they were in the South of France--Arles, the man thought the place
was called--the time of their return to town being very uncertain; though
one thing was clear, they meant to miss the forthcoming London season
altogether.

As Christopher's hope to see her again had brought a resolve to do so, so
now resolve led to dogged patience. Instead of attempting anything by
letter, he decided to wait; and he waited well, occupying himself in
publishing a 'March' and a 'Morning and Evening Service in E flat.' Some
four-part songs, too, engaged his attention when the heavier duties of
the day were over--these duties being the giving of lessons in harmony
and counterpoint, in which he was aided by the introductions of a man
well known in the musical world, who had been acquainted with young
Julian as a promising amateur long before he adopted music as the staff
of his pilgrimage.

It was the end of summer when he again tried his fortune at the house in
Exonbury Crescent. Scarcely calculating upon finding her at this
stagnant time of the town year, and only hoping for information, Julian
was surprised and excited to see the shutters open, and the house wearing
altogether a living look, its neighbours having decidedly died off
meanwhile.

'The family here,' said a footman in answer to his inquiry, 'are only
temporary tenants of the house. It is not Lady Petherwin's people.'