ement must cause him some little
emotion, but the intoxication of success would soon thrust that aside,
and the lapse of a day would find him in full appreciation of his
freedom. The projected period of their engagement had of itself three
full months to run; there was time to withdraw at any moment she chose.
And these months that remained should be devoted to her finding more
work for him, so that he should be left with a substantial balance at
his bankers.

She thus attached some importance to his not yet suspecting any change;
so she decided to go across to Tite Street at tea-time, and see him, and
do things below stairs just as on a normal day. But she feared to face
the experience alone; she did not trust her own sangfroid. As the
afternoon proved a fine one, she pressed her mother to join her in the
journey across town, throwing out the inducement that they would look at
the shops in town _en route_.

They found Wyndham putting his brushes in order after his long day. He
had risen early, he explained, and had started work with the light. A
month was not too long to finish off this great picture; he really saw a
year's work yet to be done on it! So therefore he was making a
tremendous effort and giving himself up to it, body and soul.

"And I'm afraid I must claim your indulgence. If I appear neglectful,
you will really understand, and put up with me. I shall make it up to
you afterwards," he added, smiling.

Alice was surprised at her calm, once she had mastered the first tremor
at the moment of arrival. It gave her confidence, too, for the future,
since it was good to know she could trust herself.

And this strange, almost inhuman, calm which had succeeded to the
tempests that had swept through her of late did not desert her. She knew
that the storms had worn themselves out, and that she had found a
strange, an almost baffling peace.

Wyndham, for his part, only rejoiced that she seemed so contented and
happy; so ready to overlook his shortcomings in the role of affianced
husband. Poor child, how good and devoted she was! If only out of his
brotherly tenderness for her, and appreciation and gratitude for all she
had planned and done to smoothe his life, he would take care that his
promise to Lady Betty should be carried out, not grudgingly and
according to the letter, but in a generously full and human way.

Perhaps now, in this last critical month, when every stroke of the brush
seemed a stroke of fate,