est
to bring it to an end, and to go through this embrace, and have done
with it! Any tender word that was to be spoken on either side, it was
now clear to her, must be spoken in that last farewell. There was a tear
in her eye as she rose to kiss him; but the tear was not there of her
own good will, and she strove to get rid of it without his seeing it. As
he spoke he also rose, and having lit for himself a bed-candle, was ready
to go.

"Good-by, Hermy," he said, submitting himself; with the candle in his
hand, to the inevitable embrace.

"Good-by, Hugh; and God bless you," she said, putting her arms round his
neck. "Pray--pray take care of yourself."

"All right," he said. His position with the candle was awkward, and he
wished that it might be over.

But she had a word prepared which she was determined to utter, poor,
weak creature that she was. She still had her arm round his shoulders,
so that he could not escape without shaking her off; and her forehead
was almost resting on his bosom. "Hugh," she said, "you must not be
angry with me for what I said to you."

"Very well," said he; "I won't."

"And, Hugh," said she, "of course I can't like your going."

"Oh, yes, you will," said he.

"No; I can't like it; but, Hugh, I will not think ill of it any more.
Only be here as much as you can when you come home."

"All right," said he; then he kissed her forehead and escaped from her,
and went his way, telling himself; as he went, that she was a fool.

That was the last he saw of her--before his yachting commenced; but
she--poor fool--was up by times in the morning, and, peeping out between
her curtains as the early summer sun glanced upon her eyelids, saw him
come forth from the porch and descend the great steps, and get into his
dog-cart and drive himself away. Then, when the sound of the gig could
be no longer heard, and when her eyes could no longer catch the last
expiring speck of his hat, the poor fool took herself to bed again and
cried herself to sleep.

Chapter XLIII

Captain Clavering Makes His Last Attempt

The yachting scheme was first proposed to Archie by his brother Hugh.
"Jack says that he can make a berth for you, and you'd better come,"
said the elder brother, understanding that when his edict had thus gone
forth, the thing was as good as arranged. "Jack finds the boat and men,
and I find the grub and wine-and pay for the fishing," said Hugh; "so
you need not make any bones about