ed serious
difficulties, and has conquered them--for the sake of the man she
loved."

Doctor Starkweather rose slowly to his feet, with the air of a person
whose capacity of toleration had reached its last limits.

"Am I to understand that you are still in love with Mr. Eustace
Macallan?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"The hero of the great Poison Trial?" pursued my uncle. "The man who has
deceived and deserted you? You love him?"

"I love him more dearly than ever."

"Mr. Benjamin," said the vicar, "if she recover her senses between
this and nine o'clock to-morrow morning, send her with her luggage to
Loxley's Hotel, where I am now staying. Good-night, Valeria. I shall
consult with your aunt as to what is to be done next. I have no more to
say."

"Give me a kiss, uncle, at parting."

"Oh yes, I'll give you a kiss. Anything you like, Valeria. I shall be
sixty-five next birthday; and I thought I knew something of women, at
my time of life. It seems I know nothing. Loxley's Hotel is the address,
Mr. Benjamin. Good-night."

Benjamin looked very grave when he returned to me after accompanying
Doctor Starkweather to the garden gate.

"Pray be advised, my dear," he said. "I don't ask you to consider _my_
view of this matter, as good for much. But your uncle's opinion is
surely worth considering?"

I did not reply. It was useless to say any more. I made up my mind to be
misunderstood and discouraged, and to bear it. "Good-night, my dear old
friend," was all I said to Benjamin. Then I turned away--I confess with
the tears in my eyes--and took refuge in my bedroom.

The window-blind was up, and the autumn moonlight shone brilliantly into
the little room.

As I stood by the window, looking out, the memory came to me of another
moonlight night, when Eustace and I were walking together in the
Vicarage garden before our marriage. It was the night of which I have
written, many pages back, when there were obstacles to our union, and
when Eustace had offered to release me from my engagement to him. I saw
the dear face again looking at me in the moonlight; I heard once
more his words and mine. "Forgive me," he had said, "for having loved
you--passionately, devotedly loved you. Forgive me, and let me go."

And I had answered, "Oh, Eustace, I am only a woman--don't madden me!
I can't live without you. I must and will be your wife!" And now, after
marriage had united us, we were parted! Parted, still loving each as
pas