white April days shone all around him; the silver and
purple clouds went flying overhead; here he was by the deep, brown pools
again, with the gray rocks and the overhanging birch-woods and the long
shallows filling all the world with that soft, continuous murmur. As for
his singing?--oh, yes, he could sing--he could sing, if needs were,

"O lang may his lady-love
Look frae the Castle Doune,
Ere she see the Earl o' Moray
Come sounding through the toun"--

but there is no gaslight here--there are no painted faces--he has not to
look on at the antics of a clown, with shame and confusion in his
heart--

The wild fancy was suddenly snapped in twain; Lady Cunyngham rose; the
two younger people did likewise.

"Now, I know you gentlemen like a cigar or cigarette after luncheon,"
she said to Lionel, "and we are going to leave you quite by
yourself--you will find us in the drawing-room when you please."

Of course he would not hear of such a proposal; he opened the door for
them, and followed them up-stairs; what were cigars or cigarettes to him
when he had such a chance of listening to Honnor Cunyngham's low,
modulated voice, or watching for a smile in the calmly observant hazel
eyes? Indeed, in the drawing-room, as Miss Honnor showed him a large
collection of Assiout ware which had been sent her by an English officer
in Egypt (by what right or title, Lionel swiftly asked himself, had any
English officer made bold to send Miss Cunyngham a hamperful of these
red-clay idiotcies?), this solitary guest had again and again to remind
himself that he must not outstay his welcome. And yet they seemed to
find a great deal to talk about; and the elder of the two ladies was
exceedingly kind to him; and there was a singular fascination in his
finding himself entirely _en famille_ with them. But alas! Even if he or
they had chosen to forget, the early dusk of the November afternoon was
a sufficient warning; the windows told him he had to go. And go he did
at last. He bade them good-bye; with some friendly words still dwelling
in his ears he made his way down the dim stairs and had the door opened
for him; then he found himself in this now empty and hopeless town of
Brighton, that seemed given over to the low, multitudinous murmur of
that wide waste of waves.

He did not go along to the Orleans Club; his heart and brain were too
busy to permit of his meeting chance acquaintances. He walked away
towards Shoreham ti