iting to receive her, and the look of
majesty which had cowed Lady Macleod had gone from his countenance.
He could not have received her with a kinder smile, had she come to
him with a promise that she would at this meeting name the day for
their marriage. "At any rate it does not make him unhappy," she said
to herself.

"You are not angry," he said, "that I should have followed you all
the way here, to see you."

"No, certainly; not angry, Mr Grey. All anger that there may be
between us must be on your side. I feel that thoroughly."

"Then there shall be none on either side. Whatever may be done, I
will not be angry with you. Your father advised me to come down here
to you."

"You have seen him, then?"

"Yes, I have seen him. I was in London the day you left."

"It is so terrible to think that I should have brought upon you all
this trouble."

"You will bring upon me much worse trouble than that unless--.
But I have not now come down here to tell you that. I believe that
according to rule in such matters I should not have come to you at
all, but I don't know that I care much about such rules."

"It is I that have broken all rules."

"When a lady tells a gentleman that she does not wish to see more of
him--"

"Oh, Mr Grey, I have not told you that."

"Have you not? I am glad at any rate to hear you deny it. But you
will understand what I mean. When a gentleman gets his dismissal
from a lady he should accept it,--that is, his dismissal under such
circumstances as I have received mine. But I cannot lay down my love
in that way; nor, maintaining my love, can I give up the battle.
It seems to me that I have a right at any rate to know something of
your comings and goings as long as,--unless, Alice, you should take
another name than mine."

"My intention is to keep my own." This she said in the lowest
possible tone,--almost in a whisper,--with her eyes fixed upon the
ground.

"And you will not deny me that right?"

"I cannot hinder you. Whatever you may do, I myself have sinned so
against you that I can have no right to blame you."

"There shall be no question between us of injury from one to
the other. In any conversation that we may have, or in any
correspondence--"

"Oh, Mr Grey, do not ask me to write."

"Listen to me. Should there be any on either side, there shall be no
idea of any wrong done."

"But I have done you wrong;--great wrong."

"No, Alice; I will not have it so. When I asked you t