n
as his due.

Dove was packed and strapped, ready to set out an hour after he had had
his last lesson; and while he printed labels for his luggage, and took
a circumstantial leave of his landlady and her family, with whom he was
a prime favourite by reason of his decent and orderly habits, Maurice
fetched for him from the lending library, the pieces of music set by
Schwarz as a holiday task. Dove was on tenterhooks to be off. Of late,
things had gone superlatively well with him: he had performed with
applause in an ABENDUNTERHALTUNG, and been highly commended by Schwarz;
while, as for Ephie, she had been so sweet and winning, so modestly
encouraging of his suit, that he had every reason to hope for success
in this quarter also. Too dutiful a son, however, to take,
unauthorised, such an important step as that of proposing marriage, he
was now travelling home to sound two elderly people, resident in a side
street in Peterborough, on the advisability of an American
daughter-in-law.

The Cayhills had been among the first to leave, and would be absent
till the middle of September. One afternoon, Maurice started them from
the THURINGER BAHNHOF, on their journey to Switzerland. Having seen
Mrs. Cayhill comfortably settled with her bags, books and cushions, in
the corner of a first-class carriage, and given Johanna assistance with
the tickets, he stood till the train went, talking to Ephie; and he
long retained a picture of her, standing with one foot on the step, in
a becoming travelling-dress, a hat with a veil flying from it, and a
small hand-bag slung across her shoulder, laughing and dimpling, and
well aware of the admiring glances that were cast at her. It was a
relief to Maurice that she was going away for a time; his feeling of
responsibility with regard to her had not flagged, and he had made a
point of seeing her more often, and of knowing more of her movements
than before. As, however, he had not observed anything further to
disturb him, his suspicions were on the verge of subsiding--as
suspicions have a way of doing when we wish them to--and in the last
day or two, he had begun to feel much less sure, and to wonder if,
after all, he had not been mistaken.

"I shall miss you, Morry. I almost wish I were not going," said Ephie,
and this was not untrue, in spite of the pretty new dresses her trunks
contained. "Say, I don't believe I shall enjoy myself one bit. You will
write, Morry, won't you, and tell me what goe