ave broken my word of honour,
and lost all that these months had gained. I should only drag Eustace
down if I stayed."

"Why? Oh, why? It was through their deceit. Oh, Harry! there is not
such harm done that you cannot retrieve."

"No," he said, emphatically. "Understand what you are asking. My
safeguard of an unbroken word is gone! The longing for that
stuff--accursed though I know it--is awakened. Nothing but shame at
giving way before these poor fellows that I have preached temperance to
withholds me at this very moment."

"But it does withhold you! Oh, Harold! You know you can be strong.
You know God gives strength, if you would only try."

"I know you say so."

"Because I know it. Oh, Harold! try my way. Do ask God to give you
what you want to stand up against this."

"If I did, it would not undo the past."

"Something else can do that."

He did not answer, but reached his hat, saying something again about
time, and the fly. I must make another effort. "Oh, Harold! give up
this! Do not be so cruel to Dora and to me. Have you made us love you
better than anybody, only to go away from us in this dreadful way,
knowing it is to give yourself up to destruction? Do you want to break
our hearts?"

"Me!" he said, in a dreamy way. "You don't really care for me?"

"I? Oh, Harry, when you have grown to be my brother, when you are all
that I have in this world to lean on and help me, will you take
yourself away?"

"It might be better for you," he said.

"But it _will_ not," I said; "you will stay and go on, and God will
make your strength perfect to conquer this dreadful thing too."

"You shall try it then," he said, and he began to sweep those accounts
into a drawer as if he had done with them for the night, and as he
brought his head within my reach, I could not but kiss his forehead as
I said, "Thank you, my Harry."

He screwed his lips together, with a strange half-smile very near
tears, emptied the rest of a bottle of soda-water into a tumbler,
gulped it down, opened the door, turned down the gas, and came down
with me. Mr. Yolland was watching, I well knew, but he discreetly kept
out of sight, and we came out into a very cold raw street, with the
stars twinkling overhead, smiling at us with joy I thought, and the
bells were ringing for evening service.

But our dangers were not over. We had just emerged into the main
street when a dog-cart came dashing up, the two cigars in it loo