Eve at the entrance.

"This won't do," were his first words. "You can't come over in such
weather as this. If it hadn't seemed to be clearing tip an hour or two
ago, I should have telegraphed to stop you."

"Oh, the weather is nothing to me," Eve answered, with resolute gaiety.
"I'm only too glad of the change. Besides, it won't go on much longer.
I shall get a place."

Hilliard never questioned her about her attempts to obtain an
engagement; the subject was too disagreeable to him.

"Nothing yet," she continued, as they walked up the muddy roadway to
the Hall. "But I know you don't like to talk about it."

"I have something to propose. How if I take a couple of cheap rooms in
some building let out for offices, and put in a few sticks of
furniture? Would you come to see me there?"

He watched her face as she listened to the suggestion, and his timidity
seemed justified by her expression.

"You would be so uncomfortable in such a place. Don't trouble. We shall
manage to meet somehow. I am certain to be living here before long."

"Even when you are," he persisted, "we shall only be able to see each
other in places like this. I can't talk--can't say half the things I
wish to----"

"We'll think about it. Ah, it's warm in here!"

This afternoon the guardians of the Hall were likely to be troubled
with few visitors. Eve at once led the way upstairs to a certain suite
of rooms, hung with uninteresting pictures, where she and Hilliard had
before this spent an hour safe from disturbance. She placed herself in
the recess of a window: her companion took a few steps backward and
forward.

"Let me do what I wish," he urged. "There's a whole long winter before
us. I am sure I could find a couple of rooms at a very low rent, and
some old woman would come in to do all that's necessary."

"If you like."

"I may? You would come there?" he asked eagerly.

"Of course I would come. But I sha'n't like to see you in a bare,
comfortless place."

"It needn't be that. A few pounds will make a decent sort of
sitting-room."

"Anything to tell me?" Eve asked, abruptly quitting the subject.

She seemed to be in better spirits than of late, notwithstanding the
evil sky; and Hilliard smiled with pleasure as he regarded her.

"Nothing unusual. Oh, yes; I'm forgetting. I had a letter from Emily,
and went to see her."

Hilliard had scarcely seen his quondam sister-in-law since she became
Mrs. Marr. On the one occasion of his pay