s, or, rather, Lady Holmhurst's, London house was in
Hanover-square. Then he walked to his rooms in one of the little
side-streets opening out of the Strand, and went through the form of
eating some dinner; after which a terrible fit of restlessness got
possession of him, and he started out walking. For three solid hours did
that young man walk, which was, no doubt, a good thing for him, for one
never gets enough exercise in London; and at the end of that time, having
already been to Hammersmith and back, he found himself gravitating
towards Hanover-square. Once there, he had little difficulty in finding
the number. There was a light in the drawing-room floor, and, the night
being warm, one of the windows was open, so that the lamp-light shone
softly through the lace curtains. Eustace crossed over to the other side
of the street, and, leaning against the iron railings of the square,
looked up. He was rewarded for his pains, for, through the filmy curtain,
he could make out the forms of two ladies, seated side by side upon an
ottoman, with their faces towards the window, and in one of these he had
no difficulty in recognising Augusta. Her head was leaning on her hand,
and she was talking earnestly to her companion. He wondered what she was
talking of, and had half a mind to go and ring, and ask to see her. Why
should he wait till to-morrow morning? Presently, however, better
counsels prevailed, and, though sorely against his will, he stopped where
he was till a policeman, thinking his rapt gaze suspicious, gruffly
requested him to move on.

To gaze at one's only love through an open window is, no doubt, a
delightful occupation, if a somewhat tantalising one; but if Eustace's
ears had been as good as his eyes, and he could have heard the
conversation that was proceeding in the drawing-room, he would have been
still more interested.

Augusta had just been unfolding that part of her story which dealt with
the important document tattooed upon her shoulders, to which Lady
Holmhurst had listened "ore rotundo."

"And so the young man is coming here to-morrow morning," said Lady
Holmhurst; "how delightful! I am sure he looked a very nice young man,
and he had very fine eyes. It is the most romantic thing that I ever
heard of."

"It may be delightful for you, Bessie," said Augusta, rather tartly, "but
I call it disgusting. It is all very well to be tattooed upon a desert
island--not that that was very nice, I can tell you; bu