direct
manner, regardless of suspicions. He was thunderstruck when, while
waiting in the full expectation of being admitted to her presence, the
answer brought back to him was that she was unable to see him.

This had never happened before in the whole course of their acquaintance.
But he knew what it meant, and turned away with a vague disquietude. He
did not know that Lady Constantine was just above his head, listening to
his movements with the liveliest emotions, and, while praying for him to
go, longing for him to insist on seeing her and spoil all. But the
faintest symptom being always sufficient to convince him of having
blundered, he unwittingly took her at her word, and went rapidly away.

However, he called again the next day, and she, having gained strength by
one victory over herself, was enabled to repeat her refusal with greater
ease. Knowing this to be the only course by which her point could be
maintained, she clung to it with strenuous and religious pertinacity.

Thus immured and self-controlling she passed a week. Her brother, though
he did not live in the house (preferring the nearest watering-place at
this time of the year), was continually coming there; and one day he
happened to be present when she denied herself to Swithin for the third
time. Louis, who did not observe the tears in her eyes, was astonished
and delighted: she was coming to her senses at last. Believing now that
there had been nothing more between them than a too-plainly shown
partiality on her part, he expressed his commendation of her conduct to
her face. At this, instead of owning to its advantage also, her tears
burst forth outright.

Not knowing what to make of this, Louis said--

'Well, I am simply upholding you in your course.'

'Yes, yes; I know it!' she cried. 'And it is my deliberately chosen
course. I wish he--Swithin St. Cleeve--would go on his travels at once,
and leave the place! Six hundred a year has been left him for travel and
study of the southern constellations; and I wish he would use it. You
might represent the advantage to him of the course if you cared to.'

Louis thought he could do no better than let Swithin know this as soon as
possible. Accordingly when St. Cleeve was writing in the hut the next
day he heard the crackle of footsteps over the fir-needles outside, and
jumped up, supposing them to be hers; but, to his disappointment, it was
her brother who appeared at the door.

'Excuse