any terms of equality,
he would not have abased himself in spirit as he did. The woman was
regnant The woman is always regnant, whether she be queen or dairymaid,
but the barrier between himself and her was built of the old hurdles
of low birth and iron fortune. Here anyway in his heart rang the knell
'Good-bye,' the farewell, farewell, farewell which every poet worth his
salt has heard not once but many times, and, in the middle of the dirge
the bell rang so remorselessly, came the exquisite chrysm of a fondling
hand upon his head.

It dwelt there scarcely for a moment, and if every nerve had not been
vibrant with feeling, the touch was so light that it might almost have
passed unnoticed. As things happened it was like a torch touching
a torch as yet unlighted, and the young man flamed. He caught the
caressing hand as it left his hair, and kissed it.

Ah! the weeping tears and the melancholy Touchstone humour that smiled
wryly to see them, each as big as a pea.

The Baroness surrendered her hand, and Paul kissed it with that passion
which inspires a pilgrim at the shrine, and the odd something superadded
which has made fools of men since Eve plucked her first girdle of
fig-leaves. He wept above the hand, and he fondled the hand, and he
kissed it with protesting murmurs of undying affection and esteem, and
whilst this storm was in danger of playing itself out, and the unsuing
suitor was likely to make an end of the business and go, the disengaged
hand of the Baroness stole out and took him maternally by the chin,
under the rain-soaked beard.

'Paul dear,' said the Baroness, 'I did not think that you would have
felt our parting like this. We can't help it, we literary people--we
must quote, we must express the profoundest feelings of our souls in
the words of other people. What's the Shakespearian line? "I hold it
good that we shake hands and part", Good-bye, Paul.'

He was on his feet again, and they were hand in hand. Her left hand was
on his right shoulder. Their eyes met and lingered on each other.

'We're saying good-bye, Paul,' purred the Baroness in a voice of
tenderest cadence. 'You see the need for it, don't you, you dear boy?
Perhaps we may see each other later on, but it _is_ good-bye now, for
the time being. It must be so. You see that, don't you, Paul dear?

'Oh yes,' he said, 'I see it. Who could fail to see it? You shall have
my thanks when I can offer them for having asked no explanation, no
apol