bright, musical with the song of birds, and the west wind which stirred
always in the pine-woods behind heralded the coming morning. If only she
could have dropped from her shoulders the burden of the last few months,
and found herself back there once more. Then a pang of remorse shook her
heart. She remembered the happiness which through her had come to those
whom she loved, and the thought was like a tonic to her. She forgot her
own sorrows, she forgot that dim tremendous feeling, which had shown
through her life for a minute or two, only to pass away and leave behind
longings and regrets which were in themselves a constant pain. She
forgot everything except the thought of what it might mean to those
others who were dear to her if she should fail in her task. Her face
seemed suddenly aged as she sat there, crushing down the sweeter things,
clenching her fingers upon the window-sill, and telling herself that at
any cost she must succeed, hopeless though the task might seem.

Presently she began to move about the room and collect her clothes. At
half-past nine she had left the boarding-house and departed without
leaving any address behind her. At ten o'clock a great automobile swung
round the corner, stopped before the door, and Mr. Mildmay descended and
ran lightly up the steps. Miss Longworth had gone away, he was told by
the shabby German waiter in soiled linen coat and greasy black trousers.
She had left no address. She had left no message for any one who might
be calling for her. The largest tip which he had ever received could
only send him into the inner regions to interview the proprietress, who
came out and confirmed his words. Mildmay turned slowly around and
drove away.

* * * * *

Stella and Norris Vine lunched together that day in a small West End
restaurant. He had telephoned asking her to come, and she had at once
thrown over another engagement. They were scarcely seated before he
asked her a question.

"Do you know that your cousin is in London?"

"What! Virginia?" Stella exclaimed.

He nodded, and Stella was genuinely amazed.

"Whom did she come with?" she asked. "What does she want here?"

"She came alone, poor little thing," he answered, "and on a wild-goose
chase. I never heard anything so pathetic in my life. She ought to be in
short frocks, playing with her dolls, and she has come here four
thousand miles to a city she knows nothing of, to steal back--well, y