in
some way the catastrophe of the events in course of narration. Every one
started up; the two young mechanics stared, and one of them inquired, in
return, 'What's the matter, friend?'

Christopher had not yet made reply when Ethelberta stepped from her
pedestal down upon the crackling carpet of deep leaves.

'Mr. Julian!' said she, in a serene voice, turning upon him eyes of such
a disputable stage of colour, between brown and grey, as would have
commended itself to a gallant duellist of the last century as a point on
which it was absolutely necessary to take some friend's life or other.
But the calmness was artificially done, and the astonishment that did not
appear in Ethelberta's tones was expressed by her gaze. Christopher was
not in a mood to draw fine distinctions between recognized and
unrecognized organs of speech. He replied to the eyes.

'I own that your surprise is natural,' he said, with an anxious look into
her face, as if he wished to get beyond this interpolated scene to
something more congenial and understood. 'But my concern at such a
history of yourself since I last saw you is even more natural than your
surprise at my manner of breaking in.'

'That history would justify any conduct in one who hears it--'

'Yes, indeed.'

'If it were true,' added Ethelberta, smiling. 'But it is as false as--'
She could name nothing notoriously false without raising an image of what
was disagreeable, and she continued in a better manner: 'The story I was
telling is entirely a fiction, which I am getting up for a particular
purpose--very different from what appears at present.'

'I am sorry there was such a misunderstanding,' Christopher stammered,
looking upon the ground uncertain and ashamed. 'Yet I am not, either,
for I am very glad you have not undergone such trials, of course. But
the fact is, I--being in the neighbourhood--I ventured to call on a
matter of business, relating to a poem which I had the pleasure of
setting to music at the beginning of the year.'

Ethelberta was only a little less ill at ease than Christopher showed
himself to be by this way of talking.

'Will you walk slowly on?' she said gently to the two young men, 'and
take the children with you; this gentleman wishes to speak to me on
business.'

The biggest young man caught up a little one under his arm, and plunged
amid the boughs; another little one lingered behind for a few moments to
look shyly at Christopher, with an ob