ard as essentially her duty before
it was taken, but which seemed to herself to be false and treacherous
the moment she had taken it,--she had become aware that she had been
wrong to travel with her cousin. She felt sure,--she thought that
she was sure,--that her doing so had in nowise affected her dealings
with Mr Grey. She was very certain,--she thought that she was
certain,--that she would have rejected him just the same had she
never gone to Switzerland. But every one would say of her that her
journey to Switzerland with such companions had produced that result.
It had been unlucky and she was sorry for it, and she now wished to
avoid all communication with her cousin till this affair should be
altogether over. She was especially unwilling to see him; but she
had not felt it necessary to give any special injunctions as to his
admittance; and now, before she had time to think of it,--on the eve
of her departure for Cheltenham,--he was in the room with her, just
as the dusk of the October evening was coming on. She was sitting
away from the fire, almost behind the window-curtains, thinking of
John Grey and very unhappy in her thoughts, when George Vavasor was
announced. It will of course be understood that Vavasor had at this
time received his sister's letter. He had received it, and had had
time to consider the matter since the Sunday morning on which we
saw him in his own rooms in Cecil Street. "She can turn it all into
capital to-morrow, if she pleases," he had said to himself when
thinking of her income. But he had also reminded himself that her
grandfather would probably enable him to settle an income out of the
property upon Alice, in the event of their being married. And then
he had also felt that he could have no greater triumph than "walking
atop of John Grey," as he called it. His return for the Chelsea
Districts would hardly be sweeter to him than that.

"You must have thought I had vanished out of the world," said George,
coming up to her with his extended hand.

Alice was confused, and hardly knew how to address him. "Somebody
told me that you were shooting," she said after a pause.

"So I was, but my shooting is not like the shooting of your great
Nimrods,--men who are hunters upon the earth. Two days among the
grouse and two more among the partridges are about the extent of it.
Capel Court is the preserve in which I am usually to be found."

Alice knew nothing of Capel Court, and said, "Oh, indeed."