hin acquired
that lightness of heart which most young men feel in forsaking old love
for new adventure, no matter how charming may be the girl they leave
behind them. Moreover, in the present case, the man was endowed with
that schoolboy temperament which does not see, or at least consider with
much curiosity, the effect of a given scheme upon others than himself.
The bearing upon Lady Constantine of what was an undoubted predicament
for any woman, was forgotten in his feeling that she had done a very
handsome and noble thing for him, and that he was therefore bound in
honour to make the most of it.

His going had resulted in anything but lightness of heart for her. Her
sad fancy could, indeed, indulge in dreams of her yellow-haired laddie
without that formerly besetting fear that those dreams would prompt her
to actions likely to distract and weight him. She was wretched on her
own account, relieved on his. She no longer stood in the way of his
advancement, and that was enough. For herself she could live in
retirement, visit the wood, the old camp, the column, and, like OEnone,
think of the life they had led there--

'Mournful OEnone, wandering forlorn
Of Paris, once her playmate on the hills,'

leaving it entirely to his goodness whether he would come and claim her
in the future, or desert her for ever.

She was diverted for a time from these sad performances by a letter which
reached her from Bishop Helmsdale. To see his handwriting again on an
envelope, after thinking so anxiously of making a father-confessor of
him, started her out of her equanimity. She speedily regained it,
however, when she read his note.

'THE PALACE, MELCHESTER,
_July_ 30, 18--.

'MY DEAR LADY CONSTANTINE,--I am shocked and grieved that, in the
strange dispensation of things here below, my offer of marriage should
have reached you almost simultaneously with the intelligence that your
widowhood had been of several months less duration than you and I, and
the world, had supposed. I can quite understand that, viewed from any
side, the news must have shaken and disturbed you; and your
unequivocal refusal to entertain any thought of a new alliance at such
a moment was, of course, intelligible, natural, and praiseworthy. At
present I will say no more beyond expressing a hope that you will
accept my assurances that I was quite ignorant of the news at the hour
of writing, and a sincere desi