re came more rumours, rumours of the breaking off
of the engagement; rumours of some mysterious illness of Lucia's as
the cause. They reached Rickman in the week before the date fixed for
the production of _The Triumph of Life_ in Paris. He was paying a
farewell call on Miss Roots, who became inscrutable at the mention of
Lucia's name. He accused her with violence of keeping the truth from
him, and implored her with pathos to tell it him at once. But Miss
Roots had no truth, no certain truth to tell; there were only rumours.
Miss Roots knew nothing but that Lucia had been lying on her back for
months; she conjectured that possibly there might be something the
matter with her spine. Her mother had been delicate, and Sir
Frederick, well, the less said about Sir Frederick the better. Rickman
retreated, followed by Miss Roots. As for an engagement, she was not
aware that there ever had been one; there was once, she admitted
half-way downstairs, an understanding, probably misunderstood. He had
better ask Horace Jewdwine straight out. "But," she assured him from
the doorstep, "it would take an earthquake to get the truth out of
_him_."

He flung himself into a hansom, and was one with the driver in
imprecation at the never-ending, ever-increasing gradient of the hill.
The delay, however, enabled him to find Jewdwine at home and alone. He
was aware that the interview presented difficulties, but none deterred
him.

Jewdwine, questioned as to his engagement, betrayed no surprise; for
with Rickman the unusual was to be expected. He might not have
condescended to answer Rickman, his obscure disciple, but he felt that
some concession must be made to the illustrious dramatist.

There had been, he admitted, an understanding between him and Miss
Harden. It hardly amounted to an engagement; and it had been cancelled
on the score of health.

"Of _her_ health?"

The compression of Jewdwine's lips intimated that the great poet had
sinned (not for the first time) against convention.

"She _is_ ill, then?"

"I said on the score of health. We're first cousins, and it is not
always considered advisable--"

"I see. Then that's all over."

"At any rate I'm not going to take any risks."

Rickman pondered that saying for a while. "Do you mean you're not
going to let her take any risks?"

Jewdwine said nothing, but endeavoured to express by his manner a
certain distaste for the conversation.

("Or does he mean," thought Rickman, "