quired.

"I would marry her in St. Paul's Cathedral," Ralph replied. His doubts
upon this point, which were always roused by Katharine's presence, had
vanished completely, and his strongest wish in the world was to be with
her immediately, since every second he was away from her he imagined her
slipping farther and farther from him into one of those states of mind
in which he was unrepresented. He wished to dominate her, to possess
her.

"Thank God!" exclaimed Mrs. Hilbery. She thanked Him for a variety of
blessings: for the conviction with which the young man spoke; and not
least for the prospect that on her daughter's wedding-day the noble
cadences, the stately periods, the ancient eloquence of the marriage
service would resound over the heads of a distinguished congregation
gathered together near the very spot where her father lay quiescent
with the other poets of England. The tears filled her eyes; but she
remembered simultaneously that her carriage was waiting, and with dim
eyes she walked to the door. Denham followed her downstairs.

It was a strange drive. For Denham it was without exception the most
unpleasant he had ever taken. His only wish was to go as straightly
and quickly as possible to Cheyne Walk; but it soon appeared that
Mrs. Hilbery either ignored or thought fit to baffle this desire by
interposing various errands of her own. She stopped the carriage at
post-offices, and coffee-shops, and shops of inscrutable dignity where
the aged attendants had to be greeted as old friends; and, catching
sight of the dome of St. Paul's above the irregular spires of Ludgate
Hill, she pulled the cord impulsively, and gave directions that Anderson
should drive them there. But Anderson had reasons of his own for
discouraging afternoon worship, and kept his horse's nose obstinately
towards the west. After some minutes, Mrs. Hilbery realized the
situation, and accepted it good-humoredly, apologizing to Ralph for his
disappointment.

"Never mind," she said, "we'll go to St. Paul's another day, and it may
turn out, though I can't promise that it WILL, that he'll take us past
Westminster Abbey, which would be even better."

Ralph was scarcely aware of what she went on to say. Her mind and body
both seemed to have floated into another region of quick-sailing
clouds rapidly passing across each other and enveloping everything in
a vaporous indistinctness. Meanwhile he remained conscious of his own
concentrated desire, his