e bent his head down upon his shaking
hands, and the heavy drops that are sometimes wrung from strong men in
their agony began to trickle through his fingers. In old days he could
never bear to see her sad for a moment; now, he sat as though he heard
her not, while she lay at his feet, wailing to be forgiven. When he
could perfectly control his voice he said,

"More than once, in my dreams, I have seen you so, and I have heard you
say what you have said to-day. I answered then as I answer now--I never
can forgive you. I do not know that you would not regain your old
ascendency; I believe you are as dangerous, and I as weak, as ever. But
I do know that, the more fascinating I found you, the harder it would be
to bear. Thinking of what I had missed through that accursed time of
famine would drive me mad soon. I have got used to my present burden: I
won't give you the chance of making it heavier. Those tears of mine were
selfish as well as childish; they were given to the happiness and hope
that you killed eight years ago. Stay--we parted with a show of kindness
then; we will not part in anger now."

He laid his lips on her forehead as he raised her up--a grave, cold,
passionless kiss, such as is pressed on the brow of a dear friend lying
in his shroud. They never met alone again.

It is exasperating to think how long I have taken to describe events and
emotions that passed in the space of a few minutes; but to place all the
_dramatis personae_ in their proper positions does take time, unless the
stage-manager is very experienced. Will you be good enough to imagine
the picnic broken up (_not_ in confusion), and the "strayed revelers" on
their way to Dorade? Nothing worthy of note occurred on the spot; a
commonplace conversation having been started and maintained in a way
equally creditable to all parties concerned.

CHAPTER XVII.

All the inquiries that the chaplain had "felt it his duty" to make
respecting the antecedents of Royston Keene had failed to elicit any
thing more discreditable than may be said of the generality of men who
have spent a dozen years in rather a fast regiment, keeping up to the
standard of the corps. Doubtless graver charges might have been imputed
to him, if the whole truth had been known; but the living witnesses who
could have proved them had good reasons for their silence. Whether
successful or defeated, the Cool Captain was not wont to take the world
into his confidence. As for be