-place
for the sole of his foot, but some horrid barrack-room!" Therefore
the Captain was allowed to find a resting-place in Mrs Greenow's
drawing-room; but on the return of the young ladies from church, he
was not there, and the widow was alone, "looking back," she said, "to
things that were gone;--that were gone. But come, dears, I am not
going to make you melancholy." So they had tea, and Mr Cheesacre's
cream was used with liberality.

Captain Bellfield had not allowed the opportunity to slip idly from
his hands. In the first quarter of an hour after the younger ladies
had gone, he said little or nothing, but sat with a wine-glass before
him, which once or twice he filled from the decanter. "I'm afraid the
wine is not very good," said Mrs Greenow. "But one can't get good
wine in lodgings."

"I'm not thinking very much about it, Mrs Greenow; that's the truth,"
said the Captain. "I daresay the wine is very good of its kind." Then
there was another period of silence between them.

"I suppose you find it rather dull, living in lodgings; don't you?"
asked the Captain.

"I don't know quite what you mean by dull, Captain Bellfield; but a
woman circumstanced as I am, can't find her life very gay. It's not a
full twelvemonth yet since I lost all that made life desirable, and
sometimes I wonder at myself for holding up as well as I do."

"It's wicked to give way to grief too much, Mrs Greenow."

"That's what my dear Kate always says to me, and I'm sure I do my
best to overcome it." Upon this soft tears trickled down her cheek,
showing in their course that she at any rate used no paint in
producing that freshness of colour which was one of her great charms.
Then she pressed her handkerchief to her eyes, and removing it,
smiled faintly on the Captain. "I didn't intend to treat you to such
a scene as this, Captain Bellfield."

"There is nothing on earth, Mrs Greenow, I desire so much, as
permission to dry those tears."

"Time alone can do that, Captain Bellfield;--time alone."

"But cannot time be aided by love and friendship and affection?"

"By friendship, yes. What would life be worth without the solace of
friendship?"

"And how much better is the warm glow of love?" Captain Bellfield,
as he asked this question, deliberately got up, and moved his chair
over to the widow's side. But the widow as deliberately changed her
position to the corner of a sofa. The Captain did not at once follow
her, nor did he in any wa