ject--hopelessly, but
still with a resolve to do as he had said that he would do. "Cora, I
have come to you, to ask you to go with me."

"I will not go with you," said she.

"Do not answer me in that way, without a moment's thought. Everything
is arranged--"

"Yes, everything is arranged," she said. "Mr Fitzgerald, let me
ask you to leave me alone, and to behave to me with generosity.
Everything is arranged. You can see that my boxes are all prepared
for going. Mr Palliser and I, and my friend, are starting to-morrow.
Wish me God-speed and go, and be generous."

"And is this to be the end of everything?" He was standing close to
her, but hitherto he had only touched her hand at greeting her. "Give
me your hand, Cora," he said.

"No;--I will never give you my hand again. You should be generous to
me and go. This is to be the end of everything,--of everything that
is common to you and to me. Go, when I ask you."

"Cora; did you ever love me?"

"Yes; I did love you. But we were separated, and there was no room
for love left between us."

"You are as dear to me now,--dearer than ever you were. Do not look
at me like that. Did you not tell me when we last parted that I might
come to you again? Are we children, that others should come between
us and separate us like that?"

"Yes, Burgo; we are children. Here is my cousin coming. You must
leave me now." As she spoke the door was opened and Alice entered the
room. "Miss Vavasor, Mr Fitzgerald," said Lady Glencora. "I have told
him to go and leave me. Now that you have come, Alice, he will
perhaps obey me."

Alice was dumbfounded, and knew not how to speak either to him or to
her; but she stood with her eyes riveted on the face of the man of
whom she had heard so much. Yes; certainly he was very beautiful. She
had never before seen man's beauty such as that. She found it quite
impossible to speak a word to him then--at the spur of the moment,
but she acknowledged the introduction with a slight inclination of
the head, and then stood silent, as though she were waiting for him
to go.

"Mr Fitzgerald, why do you not leave me and go?" said Lady Glencora.

Poor Burgo also found it difficult enough to speak. What could he
say? His cause was one which certainly did not admit of being pleaded
in the presence of a strange lady; and he might have known from the
moment in which he heard Glencora's request that a third person
should be summoned to their meeting--and probabl