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 ^ ^^V2Lv 
 
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 •BOOTLES’ BABY,” “ HOUP-LA,” “THAT IMP,” “BUTTONS,” 
 “A LITTLE FOOL,” “MY POOR DICK,” “MRS. BOB,” 
 
 “ DINNA FORGET,” “ HE WENT FOR A SOLDIER,” 
 
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 9 ' y-a^.s3 
 
 M3 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP, PAG E 
 
 I. — Shadows Eisino ..... 1 
 
 II. — Good-Bye to Sdmmer ... 9 
 
 III. — Lines of White 14 
 
 lY. — ‘‘T he Link mhst Break” ... 22 
 
 V. — What is to be Done? ... 29 
 
 YI. — Good-Bye to Hope ! . ... 34 
 
 YII. — What are we waiting for ! . . .43 
 
 YIII. — A Fresh Start ..... 52 
 
 IX. — All the to-morrows shall be as to-day 57 
 
 X. — A Yoice from the Far-Away . . 65 
 
 XL— Hdsh! 71 
 
 XII. — Hope the Stranger . . r . 77 
 
 XIII. — Again — Again ..... 85 
 
 XVI. — Old Links we Break ! . . . 93 
 
 XY. — Without Hope 98 
 
 XVI. — Until the Day^break 
 
 102 
 
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 JOHN STRANGE WINTER’S NEW PAPER. 
 
 ‘‘It is not surprising that GOLDEN GATES has been so 
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 98, FLEET STREET, LONDON, E.C. 
 
GOOD-BYE. 
 
 • — ^ — 
 
 CHAPTER 1. ^ 
 
 SHADOWS RISING. 
 
 The crowded court was hushed and quiet — not a 
 soul moved so much as a finger. The J udge, grave 
 and stern, sat motionless — keen-eyed counsel were 
 on the alert — fashionable ladies held their breath, 
 while in some lovely eyes the scalding tears rose 
 and fell fast over lovely cheeks out of pity for the 
 unspeakable anguish on the face of the fair girl at 
 the barrister’s table below. 
 
 The awful stillness lasted but for a moment, and 
 as the jury began to file into their box, a sound 
 between a shiver and a sob crept through the Court, 
 and all eyes turned toward those who had come to 
 bring the verdict which, to three lives in that place, 
 would be of far graver import than if it were one of 
 life or death. 
 
 And oh ! what agonised faces did the three 
 principal actors in the drama turn in the direction 
 of the jury — the wife and husband and he who had 
 been the chosen friend of both ! The wife but a 
 couple of hours ago had stood forth and, denying 
 the charges against her, had in a choking voice 
 declared that she had never in all her life given 
 word or thought of love to any man except her 
 husband ; the husband had given his evidence 
 
 1 
 
2 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 unwillingly enough, yet his very hesitation had 
 carried conviction with it to more than one half- 
 sympathetic heart, conviction of the wife’s guilt, 
 that is. 
 
 After her had come the third actor in the pitiful 
 drama, and he had stood up like a man, hotly 
 denying that he had ever wronged his friend or his 
 friend’s wife by a look, by a word, by a thought, and 
 had boldly declared that the fatal letter w’hich his 
 friend had opened had not been written to Mrs. 
 Adair at all but to another lady — the lady in fact, 
 whom he hoped would ultimately become his wife — 
 and how it had come to be addressed to Mrs. 
 Adair he did not know. Yes, he did sometimes 
 write to Mrs. Adair, mere notes, answers to 
 invitations or such trifling matters, but never as 
 a secret from her husband, never on his word of 
 honour as a gentleman. 
 
 No, he did not think it possible that he could 
 have put it in the wrong envelope because he had 
 not written to Mrs. Adair at all during that week 
 — therefore he could not conjecture how it had 
 happened. 
 
 He had been asked whether he denied that the 
 handwriting on the envelope was his ? No, he 
 replied that it looked uncommonly like his, and 
 admitted that if he had been shown the envelope 
 casually he should have said that it was his writing. 
 But he would positively swear that he had never 
 written that letter to Mrs. Adair, and that he had 
 never in all his life written or spoken one word to 
 her which all the world, especially her husband, 
 might not have seen and heard. 
 
 So, with some additional evidence from Mrs. 
 Adair’s own maid, the case stood when the jury 
 returned into court to give their verdict, and a 
 death-like silence fell upon the persons therein 
 assembled. 
 
SHADOWS KISINO. 
 
 3 
 
 It was broken by the solemn questions put to and 
 answered by the Foreman of the jury — and after he 
 had spoken it lasted for full two minutes longer, two 
 minutes that seemed like hours. 
 
 The great counsel who had defended Mrs. Adair 
 uttered an exclamation of disgust and turned to 
 speak to his client — I shall give notice of appeal 
 when the time comes,” he said in a vexed under- 
 tone — “ you never know what clowns like these — ” 
 with a slight gesture towards the jury — may or 
 may not do. We must appeal.” 
 
 “ Appeal ” Mrs. Adair echoed ; she looked at 
 
 him with wild and vacant eyes — Appeal — what is 
 that?” 
 
 It’s the only chance we have of upsetting this 
 blundering verdict,” he answered — but I will see 
 you in a day or two, Mrs. Adair, and go into it all 
 with you.” 
 
 But Mrs. Adair shook her head resolutely — No,” 
 she said in a pained voice — all the appeals in the 
 world could not undo what has been done. Let it 
 all go ! I could not go through another day like 
 this — I would rather die. I — I will go — away.” 
 She had been on the point of saying home ” but 
 checked herself and substituted the other word for 
 that tender one to which henceforward she would 
 be a stranger. You have done your best for me 
 and I thank you. And Sir John — ” more hesi- 
 tatingly than before — if you can believe that I am 
 innocent, I would like you to do so. Whatever 
 happens, it will always comfort me to think that 
 you believed in me, that any one believed in me — ” 
 with a wild sob in her throat. 
 
 The great counsel had something very like -tears 
 in his eyes as he took her hand — My dear lady — ” 
 he said with a sincerity that was unmistakable — 
 ‘‘ I believe in your innocence implicitly — implicitly. 
 But, let me see you safely through the crowd and 
 
4 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 into your carriage. God knows — ” he added under 
 his breath — ‘‘ that I would do much more than that 
 to help you, my poor child, if I could.” 
 
 “ You have been very good,” she murmured in a 
 dull hopeless tone — Nay — you are very good — It 
 will all come back to you someday — God bless you, 
 Sir John — Good-bye.” 
 
 By this time they had reached the busy street, 
 and the great counsel looked in vain for Mrs. Adair’s 
 brougham. She saw the look and answered it. 
 ‘^No, a cab, please — I did not care to keep the 
 carriage waiting.” 
 
 He hailed a cab and helped her into it — then 
 leant forward after he had shut the doors and 
 asked her a question. 
 
 What are you going to do — when can I come 
 and see you ? ” 
 
 She looked at him with her sad eyes and shook 
 her head vaguely, hopelessly — I don’t know what 
 I shall do — I don’t know yet what will become of 
 me,” she said — and why should I trouble you any 
 more ? You have done all that you could do for 
 me and I am grateful, oh ! so grateful. But you 
 and I have nothing in common now. Good-bye.” 
 
 She held out her hand to him and he leant yet 
 nearer towards her — ^^Mrs. Adair,” he said, ‘^you 
 told me that you had no money of your own — what 
 will you do ? ” 
 
 ‘‘ I did not mean that I was quite penniless,” she 
 answered with a wan smile — have about a 
 hundred pounds left quite of my own. That will 
 tide me over the immediate future. For the rest 
 I cannot tell you for I do not know myself what I 
 am going to do.” 
 
 But in the time to come, if you should want 
 help of ariy kind,” said Sir John earnestly — ‘^you 
 will come to me. Promise me that you will. My 
 poor child, you have never known what it is to 
 
SHAEOWS RISING. 
 
 battle with the hard world — yon will find it so 
 much easier and lighter if you have a friend that 
 you can trust. You will come to me if you are in 
 any kind of difficulty, won’t you ? You will let me 
 know where you are — what you are doing ? There 
 are so many ways in which a man can help a 
 woman.” 
 
 She looked away over the horse’s head as if she 
 was trying to look into the future. ‘^Yes,” she 
 said at last — when I have found a resting-place I 
 will let you know it. I can’t say any more now and 
 — and I must go back to Grosvenor Street please.” 
 
 He released her hand, stepped back, gave the 
 address to the cabman and waved his hand to her as 
 the horse moved forward. Then he turned and 
 went back into the building again, too pressed 
 with work to have more than five minutes to spare, 
 even for the woman whose case and whose person- 
 ality had interested him more than he had ever 
 been interested in all his life before. But he went 
 back to his work with head and heart both full of 
 the girl who had just lost the day. 
 
 Heaven help that poor little woman ” — he said 
 to himself — and d — n the fool of a husband for 
 his suspicions ! He looked cut up enough when 
 those blockheads gave their verdict — the greater ass 
 he for putting it in their power to give a verdict at 
 all.” 
 
 Mrs. Adair, meantime, was driving along the 
 Strand, that street of all others so full of busy 
 human life, of men and women all hurrying along, 
 none of them seeming to have time to give a word 
 or thought of sympathy to the ruined hearts and 
 hopes that they meet by the way. She was very 
 wretched ! She felt so old and worn and she was 
 still so young, only three-and-twenty two months 
 ago! 
 
 Her thoughts went back to Sir John Wigram— - 
 
6 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 That is a good man — a good man/* she said to 
 herself — ‘^and so hind, so considerate. I wonder 
 what sort of a wife he has ? I think she must be a 
 happy woman.” 
 
 She was still thinking of him when she drove 
 up, for the last time, to the house which had been 
 her happy home for five years, five happy years and 
 two weary and wretched months. The servant who 
 opened the door looked at her with respectful 
 enquiry and she answered the mute question in his 
 eyes at once. 
 
 I am going away in half-an-hour, Jenkins,** 
 she said in a strange hushed voice — and I shall 
 not come back here at all. To-morrow I daresay 
 your master will come — he will settle everything 
 with you and make arrangements for the house and 
 so on.” 
 
 She turned to go up the stairs but the man 
 followed her a step or two and coughed apolo- 
 getically. ^‘May I say, Ma’am,” he said, ^Hhat I 
 am grieved — that we are all deeply grieved to lose 
 so kind a mistress. We were hoping it might be 
 otherwise, Ma’am.” 
 
 The man’s tone touched her — she turned back 
 with her hand on the oaken stair-rail — ‘^And I 
 also, Jenkins — ” she sighed — and I also. Well — ’* 
 sighing again and with a hopeless gesture — ‘‘it 
 was not to be. I hope you will get on well, all of 
 you — you have been good servants to me and I — I 
 can do nothing for any of you — I cannot even give 
 you a character now.” 
 
 Her voice broke piteously, she turned and went 
 quickly up the wide stairs, the steps up and down 
 which she and Dick had gone hand in hand so many 
 times together, with gay laughter and fond looks 
 which were all over now, gone for ever into the past 
 which was agony and anguish to remember had 
 ever been. 
 
SHADOWS EISING. 
 
 7 
 
 They tell us that the English are stiff and cold, 
 that nothing ever rouses the ordinary Englishman 
 out of his decorous reserve. Perhaps it is so, but I 
 know that Jenkins the plain serving-man, who was 
 no longer young and had never been troubled by 
 even the very smallest touch of romance in all his 
 life, who was staid and old-fashioned to a degree, I 
 do know that, as soon as his young mistress was 
 out of sight, he bent down and kissed the hand- 
 rail just where her little cold hand had rested. 
 Then, as if ashamed of his little exhibition of feeling, 
 he hurried away to his pantry where he stood 
 shaking his head at the rows of glasses, and mutter- 
 ing darkly — Oh ! Master Eichard — Master Eichard, 
 you’ve done this day what you will rue to the end 
 of time — oh ! Master Eichard, how could you do it 
 - — how could you do it ? ” 
 
 In less than half-an-hour he heard Mrs. Adair 
 coming down stairs and he went into the hall to 
 meet her. I have set tea in the boudoir. Ma’am,” 
 he said in an everyday respectful tone as if he had 
 never given way to a burst of feeling in all his life 
 and she was but going out to pay an afternoon 
 visit and would assuredly be back by dinner-time. 
 
 Thank you, Jenkins,” she said — but 1 cannot 
 wait for it. Call me a cab, if you please.” 
 
 But you will take something. Ma’am, before you 
 go out,” he urged, laying aside his deference in his 
 anxiety. 
 
 ‘^No, Jenkins, thank you — I would rather not 
 have anything here. Yes, a cab at once please — ■ 
 Thanks.” 
 
 Her tone admitted of no delay, of no remon- 
 strance, and Jenkins went out into the fast-fading 
 day and whistled sharply. A moment later Mrs. 
 Adair had looked her last on her home, and as she 
 passed oat of the door, her maid came running down 
 with a small portmanteau and a rather shabby little 
 
8 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 dressing-bag. Give them to Jenkins,” Mrs. Adair 
 said — and go straight in-doors, Marie — No need 
 to make your cold worse — Good-bye — ” then she 
 stopped and held out her hand to Jenkins. 
 
 You will say good-bye to all the others for me 
 Jenkins,” she said — I could not bear to see them 
 all — I have left a remembrance for each of you with 
 Marie — Good-bye, Jenkins, good-bye.” 
 
 She pressed a bit of rustling paper into his hand 
 and got quickly into the cab — “ Drive to No. 00 
 Jermyn Street,” she said ; and then the driver gave 
 a jerk to the reins, and the next moment Jenkins 
 was standing alone on the door-step, looking after 
 the retreating vehicle. 
 
 ^^No. 00 Jermyn Street,” he repeated — ‘‘She’s 
 going to see him I Well, Master Eichard, I’ve 
 never been afraid of man, woman nor child in all my 
 life yet, but I’d rather that you had to face her than 
 me, that’s all. And if ever I gets hold of Kosalie 
 Vallin there’ll be a heavy reckoning to settle, and I 
 mean to settle it.” 
 
CHAPTER IL 
 
 GOOD-BYE TO SUMMER? 
 
 In less than ten minutes the cab stopped at the 
 door of No. 00 Jermyn Street, the house where 
 Richard Adair had taken chambers after leaving his 
 home in Grosvenor Street. 
 
 Can you wait for me ? ” Mrs. Adair asked — ** I 
 shall not be long — not many minutes.’* 
 
 Oh ! yes, lady,” he answered cheerfully — as 
 long as ever you like.” 
 
 She rang the bell and the summons was answered 
 by a quiet-looking young man. 
 
 Is Mr. Adair here ? ” she asked. 
 
 The young man hesitated — ‘‘Well, Ma’am,” he 
 answered, “ Mr. Adair is at home but I don’t think 
 he will see anyone to-day.” 
 
 “ I think he will see me — I come on business,” 
 she said coldly — “ Stay, I will write a line to him.” 
 
 She went into the house and scribbled a 
 few w^ords on a leaf of her pocket-book which she 
 tore out and twisted into a semblance of a note — 
 “ Give that to Mr. Adair,” she said — “ I will wait 
 here.” 
 
 The young man departed quickly on his mission, 
 returning almost immediately, saying — “ Mr. Adair 
 will see you. Ma’am, if you will walk this way.” 
 
 She followed him with an outward appearance of 
 calmness although her limbs were shaking under 
 her and her face was ashen white. She walked into 
 the room, a handsome room flooded with rich light 
 
10 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 from the fire and from two red-shaded lamps. She 
 was conscious that the door had been closed behind 
 her and that she was alone with the man who had 
 been her husband and whom, Grod help her, she 
 loved still with all her heart and soul. 
 
 The supreme misery of the moment almost over- 
 whelmed her — she tottered and would have fallen if 
 she had not caught at a heavy chair by which to 
 steady herself. 
 
 Won’t you sit down ? ” Adair asked very 
 politely. 
 
 She shook her head. I don’t want to sit down,” 
 she said in an almost inaudible voice — I — 1 — 
 daresay you are surprised to see me.” 
 
 He made a gesture deprecating and vague, as he 
 might have done to a stranger whom he wished to 
 set at ease. Mrs. Adair went on, more bravely this 
 time. 
 
 First, I have brought you the keys of the safe 
 and of my desk,” she said — “I have taken away 
 nothing that you gave me — only the few trinkets I 
 had before — before I ever saw you. You will 
 perhaps go to Girosvenor Street and see the servants 
 — and tell them what to do.” 
 
 But you have not left the house,” he cried — • 
 
 What are you going to do ? Where are you going 
 to live ? ” 
 
 She looked up at him steadily enough — That is 
 no longer any concern of yours,” she said coldly. 
 
 It is sufficient for you that I am not going to live 
 on the money of a man who believes me to be what 
 you have made me in the eyes of all the world 
 to-day. I came — and perhaps I was a fool to do it 
 — because I wanted to tell you, though it is too late 
 now to undo what you have done ” 
 
 What I have done,” he echoed bitterly. 
 
 She drew a step nearer to him — Dick ” — she 
 said, in just the same old tender voice, the voice 
 
aOOD-BYE TO SUMMER 1 
 
 11 
 
 which still thrilled him through and through — it 
 is too late now to undo anything and you may 
 never learn the truth in this world, but I swear to 
 you solemnly that you have wronged me utterly and 
 absolutely. Every word I spoke in the Court to-day 
 was true, wholly true.” 
 
 And the letter ” — he broke in — How do you 
 explain that ? ” 
 
 I cannot explain it,” she answered — ‘‘ it is all a 
 mystery to me ; but I swear to you, Dick, on the 
 word of a woman who is heart-broken beyond the 
 need or desire of lying, that Captain St. John never 
 said one word of love to me in all his life ; he is no 
 more to me than ” — she looked round for some 
 simile by which to express her indifference — than 
 — than this table ! Think ! Do you suppose that I 
 should have written to you day after day protesting 
 my innocence — praying, begging, imploring you 
 not to do this thing — if I had been the guilty 
 woman you thought me — that ” — bitterly — you 
 think me still ? Just think a moment if you have 
 not thought of it before. If I had loved him better 
 than you why should I have cared if the whole 
 world knew the truth ? I have no children to hold 
 back half my heart while the other half was pining 
 to be away — what then was there to keep me ? Not 
 money — he is far richer than you are ! My good 
 name ? Do you think I should have valued that so 
 highly if my heart was black enough to betray you ? 
 Oh ! Dick, think ! ” 
 
 But Adair was in no wise touched by her passion. 
 
 It sounds all likely and plausible enough,” he 
 said, sneering a little — but you have been found 
 guilty by a jury of impartial men and ” 
 
 Are men ever impartial to women ? ” she cried. 
 “ No, a thousand times no ; they were all against 
 me, judge, jury, lawyers, all, excepting Sir John 
 
12 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 Who was paid for thinking otherwise ” — Adair 
 put in bitterly. 
 
 ‘‘ Oh ! Dick — she burst out — Oh ! Dick, for 
 shame, for shame, it is not like you! Three 
 months ago ” 
 
 Three months ago ” — he broke in pitilessly — I 
 believed in you — I am not the same man I was three 
 months ago.” 
 
 She was silent for a moment struggling to keep 
 back her tears — It seems hard that after believing 
 in me for five years, you should be turned utterly 
 against me by the evidence of such a woman as 
 Eosalie ” 
 
 Not at all on Eosalie’s evidence,” he broke in 
 sharply, but on the evidence of a letter addressed 
 to you which I opened with my own hand.” 
 
 And at whose instigation ?” she asked. 
 
 He put out his hand with a gesture of admission 
 to the implied point — ‘^That is all beside the 
 question ” — he said — St. John wrote the letter 
 and ” 
 
 He denied it ” 
 
 Oh ! yes.” 
 
 Dick, he gave you his solemn word, his word of 
 honour,” she exclaimed. 
 
 Oh ! yes — but the word of the most honourable 
 man does not count for much when it concerns 
 divorce questions,” he said more bitterly than ever. 
 
 She looked at him with all her heart in her eyes 
 and he went on speaking. 
 
 Y"ou said just now that I was not like myself — 
 Well, I am not myself. I am a new Eichard Adair, 
 a miserable devil without a hope in the world or 
 faith in any man or woman. My new experience has 
 done it and I do not relish the new state of things 
 at all. It is your work, Hope, all your work, and 
 you need not be surprised that I am not as smooth 
 and complacent as I should be if I were in the 
 
GOOD-BYE TO SUMMER! 
 
 13 
 
 blind paradise of my ignorance. Few men, I fancy, 
 would be just the same if they had had my change 
 of circumstances — I am not going to pretend that I 
 am so.” 
 
 She looked at him steadfastly, a whole world of 
 love, yearning, hungering love in her face — I will 
 go,” she said — I have said all that I came to say. 
 Some day, Dick, you may find out the truth and 
 this will all come back to you. Grod help you then, 
 Dick, when you realise what you have done.” 
 
 She turned away half blinded by her tears — her 
 only desire at that moment was to get out of the 
 room, out of the house, without breaking down and 
 showing the full extent of her weakness ; he opened 
 the door for her ceremoniously enough. Have you 
 a carriage? Allow me to take you down to it.” 
 
 No,” she said coldly — oblige me by remaining 
 here.” 
 
 So he held open the door until she had passed 
 out of sight — and then he went back to his chair 
 before the fire where he sat till the glowing embers 
 sank down and down until not a single spark of life 
 remained therein. 
 
 And oh ! what hard and bitter thoughts the man 
 had. A vision came to him of how he saw her first, 
 walking along a fiower-bordered lane in her father’s 
 Devonshire parish — he recalled the simple white 
 gown she wore and the innocent shining eyes and 
 brilliant colouring shaded by a large hat, and he 
 sickened as he reminded himself that the eyes were 
 innocent no longer and that the brilliant tints had 
 faded in the fierce glare of discovery. 
 
 It was well that the old Kector was dead, more 
 than well ; but what a wooing his had been, with 
 never a tiny cloud to mar its sunshine — he groaned 
 aloud as he thought of that glad golden summer- 
 time. 
 
 ‘‘ If only she had been honest,” he cried — if 
 
14 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 only she had been true enough to be honest with 
 me — to say ^ Dick, I was tempted — forgive me — - 
 take me away and help me to be better.’ But no, 
 she was false all through, false to the very end — 
 beyond the very end.” 
 
 But Adair was wrong there — he was not the man 
 to forgive such a wrong, though at that moment 
 he thought truly enough that he could and would 
 have done so, nor dreamed that the end would 
 have been just the same as it had been that same 
 cruel winter day, when he had let his wife — his wife 
 who had been — go out into the darkness alone, 
 without so much as a single word of parting ! 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 LINES OF WHITE. 
 
 Well, it was all over ! As Adair sat by the burnt- 
 out fire in his lonely room that dismal night, he 
 said those forlorn words over and over again — it was 
 all over, Hope and he were no longer one but two 
 now, and the happy time of his life had come to a 
 miserable and shameful end. 
 
 For thirty years he had lived in the sunshine of 
 what had seemed to be unending good fortune, he 
 had had neither cloud nor care, excepting that the 
 two little children who had been born to them had 
 been so frail in their hold upon life, that they had 
 quietly faded out of the world but a few hours after 
 they had struggled into it. And now — now he was 
 quite alone ; he might go on living for twenty, 
 thirty, nay even for forty years before he reached 
 his allotted span — and his was not a short-lived race. 
 What wonder that the man groaned as he sat before 
 the empty grate. 
 
 At last the quiet young man, who had conducted 
 Mrs. Adair upstairs, knocked gently at the door, 
 
LINES OF WHITE. 
 
 15 
 
 and receiving no answer, knocked again and finally 
 opened it. He did not usually knock at all, but 
 like all the rest of the world he knew what had 
 happened to Adair earlier in the day and he felt a 
 certain delicacy in entering the room without some 
 warning, for he pitied the crushed and lonely figure 
 in the big chair with all his heart. 
 
 He had a little tray with a letter lying on it 
 which he offered to Adair, and, as he took it he 
 asked — Will you dine here to-night. Sir ? ” 
 
 ‘^No — I’ll dine at the club,” Adair answered — 
 not that he meant to dine anywhere. 
 
 ‘‘ Shall I light the fire again. Sir, ” the young man 
 asked. 
 
 ‘‘Presently, presently — I am going out after a 
 while — light it then,” Adair answered irritably. 
 
 He waited until he was alone again before he 
 looked at the letter which he held in his hand — oh, 
 yes, he had seen by a glance from whom it came ; 
 he knew Hugh St. John’s big bold hand- writing as 
 well as he knew his own. 
 
 But he did not open it at once — indeed he had 
 more than half a mind not to open it at all, but to 
 send it back with a curt line written across the 
 cover to the effect that there neither could nor 
 should be any communication between them. 
 
 “ I suppose he will marry Hope now — as soon as 
 he can,” his bitter thoughts ran. “ He thought to 
 blind me with his cock and bull story of a letter 
 WTitten to another woman, the lady he hoped to 
 make his wife — and yet — yet — he refused to give 
 the name in Court because the engagement had not 
 been made public, owing to the unfortunate 
 mistake which had been made with Mrs. Adair — 
 aye, the mistake of being found out.” 
 
 But should he open that letter or not ? There 
 might be explanations in it, some word, even if it 
 were only an admission of the truth, which would 
 
16 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 set his mind at rest, so far as it ever could be set at 
 rest after all that had happened. Yes, he would 
 open it — it would be easy enough to send it back, 
 perhaps torn across the better to express his con- 
 tempt for the writer. 
 
 In another moment he had broken the seal and 
 had drawn the letter from its envelope. It was 
 without prefix and ran thus — God forgive you, 
 Adair, for what you have done this day. It is a fine 
 piece of work truly, one for a man to be proud of. 
 You have blasted your wife’s innocent life, and 
 mine is ruined as completely as it is possible for a 
 man’s life to be. We have been close friends for 
 many years, you and I, and I would like you to ask 
 yourself now that all is over, have you ever known 
 me do a dirty trick in my life to any friend, to any 
 enemy for the matter of that ? Look back over the 
 years that you have known me — do you think if I 
 had wanted to make love to your wife that I would 
 have conducted myself like an area-sneak ? No, a 
 thousand times, no. If I had wanted her to go 
 away with me and she would have gone (which 
 she never would have done, for — God help her, poor 
 child — there was only one man in the world for her, 
 and he was a fair-weather lover who hadn’t heart 
 enough to trust either wife or friend) — do you 
 think I would have been content to see her now and 
 again on the sly? No, Adair, and when you are 
 calm enough to think reasonably about it, your 
 heart will tell you that whatever sins I may have, 
 that particular sin is not one of them. 
 
 I saw you sneer in the Court to-day because I 
 would not give a lady’s name to the public — yon^ I 
 daresay, who have not hesitated to drag your wife’s 
 name and your own through the mire, will hardly 
 understand my wish to spare a woman the pain of 
 having her name brought into a case like this. 
 Well, I can tell you now and I will, believing 
 
LINES OF WHITE. 
 
 17 
 
 that you have still a sufficient sense of honour left 
 to let it go no further. The lady to whom that 
 letter was written was Miss Maturin — and an hour 
 ago she wrote to me definitely refusing to fulfil her 
 engagement to me — or to have it made public in any 
 way — she positively refuses to see me or to have 
 any explanation from me — she even forbids me to 
 write to her, saying that if I do so, she will return 
 the letter unopened. Now, Adair, when I tell you 
 that this lady possesses every vestige of my affection, 
 that for many months past the sole aim and object 
 of my life has been to win her for my wife, you 
 will perhaps understand how I feel towards you at 
 this moment. 
 
 ‘‘As to the unhappy girl whose stricken face 
 to-day ought to have carried conviction of her inno- 
 cence to any but a heart of stone — what you have 
 done is, of course, a matter for your own conscience 
 — a burden which I, with all my disappointment 
 and trouble, thank God is not mine to carry. For 
 the last time I protest to you that your suspicions 
 against your wife’s honour are absolutely unfounded 
 — would that all other women were as pure and 
 true, although, poor child, her purity and truth 
 have not availed her much — or I should say have 
 not availed her at all against what at best was a 
 mistake, or at worst a cruel trick to bring about her 
 downfall. 
 
 “Hugh St. John.” 
 
 When Adair got to the end of the letter he had no 
 longer any idea of sending it back to Hugh St. 
 John. He felt that it was manly and brave in tone, 
 and that it was hard on him to have his engage- 
 ment to Miss Maturin brought to an end in that 
 way. He had no longer any doubt that St. John 
 had been engaged to some one, and now, like a flash 
 of lightning there came back to his memory the 
 
 2 
 
18 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 many occasions on which he had seen him in 
 attendance upon Miss Maturin — ^yet he was none 
 the less convinced of his wife’s guilt and of his 
 friend’s treachery. 
 
 It’s a manly letter, evidently written in a 
 boiling passion,” he told himself — ‘‘and it’s a 
 clever letter too — but false every word of it that 
 concerns Hope. All the better for Miss Maturin 
 that she has found it out before marriage instead of 
 afterwards, she ought to be thankful to me though 
 I daresay she isn’t. But she will be some day — 
 some day ! And I ! Shall I be thankful too ? My 
 God, no ! If only I had let it pass — if only I had let 
 sleeping dogs lie — and they were sleeping — there 
 would have been no scandal, no fuss, nobody would 
 have known. I could never have been so happy 
 again, but I should not have been so supremely 
 wretched as I am now.” 
 
 An hour went by ! The quiet young man came 
 twice and listened at the door and the second time 
 all was so still that he opened it softly and ventured 
 to look into the room — “ And I come out quiet- 
 like,” he explained to his wife when he went down- 
 stairs again — “ so as he shouldn’t hear me. Pore 
 gentleman, he do seem to take it to heart.” 
 
 “ What was he doing ? ” his wife asked curiously. 
 
 “Nothing — he was just leaning his head on his 
 arms and never moved nor spoke. I should say as 
 he didn’t hear me, so I come out quiet-like and 
 shut the door.” 
 
 “ He’s had naught to eat all day,” remarked the 
 lady, who was interested in the cooking department 
 of the establishment, “ I wonder if heM take a cup of 
 beef-tea.” 
 
 “ Ah ! ” sighed the young man — “ beef-tea’s poor 
 consolation when your heart’s broke.” 
 
 “There’s something in that,” remarked Mrs. 
 Smith feelingly — I know when I thought you was 
 
LINES OF WHITE. 
 
 19 
 
 going to take up with that Ann Timmins, never a 
 bite passed my lips for nearly a week except what I 
 had to taste in the way of cooking. I couldn’t have 
 sat down to a reg’lar meal not for a king’s ransom, 
 that I couldn’t.” 
 
 Ann Timmins wasn’t worth troubling yourself 
 about, Jennj,” returned Mr. Smith disdainfully — 
 there had been a time when his feelings had hung 
 trembling as in a balance between the two ladies, 
 but he had ended by marrying Jenny and was 
 eminently satisfied with his partner in every way. 
 
 “ Perhaps not — and perhaps you wasn’t worth it 
 either, Smith,” said she quickly — having made her 
 establishment in life Mrs. Smith had no notion of 
 allowing her better half to what she called ^^get 
 above himself.” 
 
 But jN^. Smith was equal to the occasion — 
 ‘‘Which I never was one to butter myself, Jenny,” 
 he remarked with dignity — “ but, all the same, I 
 hope I always respected myself better than to run 
 after Ann Timmins anyway.” 
 
 “ There’s many a marriage comes about without 
 any intention on the man’s part,” said Mrs. Smith 
 rather sententiously — “ and Ann Timmins isn’t 
 the one to remain in a single state for want of en- 
 couragement on 'er side, that’s certain ! Eh ! 
 but Smith, my heart do bleed for the pore gentle- 
 man upstairs — I wonder if he’d manage to eat a 
 few oysters if I sent ’em up without saying any- 
 thing about ’em.” 
 
 “ Best leave him alone — ” Smith replied. 
 
 “ Perhaps. But he’s had one visitor you say.” 
 
 “Yes ! And, Jenny — Why — it was her / ” 
 
 “ Her — what her ? ” 
 
 “ Why, his wife, of course. I thought she looked 
 
 white and scared-like. By but she’s a pretty 
 
 creature — no wonder he give such a sigh when he 
 read the note.” 
 
 2 * 
 
20 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 What was she like ? What sort of a way had 
 she with her ? ” Mrs. Smith asked curiously. 
 
 ‘‘ She was very white-looking — and I noticed that 
 she’d very blue e3"es — and she was quietly dressed 
 and a lady every inch of her. She had a commanding 
 way too but a very gentle voice, and she gave me a 
 shilling when I helped her into the cab — Thank 
 you,” she said — I’m much obliged.” 
 
 ‘‘ Where did she go ? ” 
 
 To Albert Grate,” Smith replied. I daresay 
 she’d give him directions when she got there.” 
 
 Ah ! well — she should have behaved herself and 
 then she’d be in her comfortable house still and we 
 should be one gentleman the less — not that I 
 should mind that, pore thing. I never was one to 
 fatten on the troubles of others. Well, Smith, I’m 
 going to do something unusual — I’m going upstairs 
 to see Mr. Adair and ask him if he’ll oblige me by 
 eating something.” 
 
 ‘^Do as you like, Jenny — but you’ll take the 
 consequences if he’s offended about it ? ” 
 
 Oh ! yes,” she responded readily enough. 
 
 She was a comely young woman neatly dressed 
 in black with a large white apron with a bib to it. 
 She glanced at herself in the glass, then went 
 straight upstairs to the drawing-room door at which 
 she knocked. There was no reply and she knocked 
 again, after which she went in only to find the room 
 empty — Adair had gone. 
 
 ‘‘ I wonder where he is,” she said anxiously to 
 herself — ‘‘ please Heaven he comes to no harm — it’s 
 a bitter night.” 
 
 It was a bitter night, and at that moment Adair 
 was tearing along the Embankment as if ten 
 thousand fiends were after him. The icy wind 
 whistled about his ears but he felt it not because of 
 the passionate fires burning in his heart. As he 
 passed by Charing Cross Station a man who knew 
 
LINES OF WHITE. 
 
 21 
 
 him well, almost ran against him but avoided 
 speaking to him from an instinctive feeling that he 
 would rather be left alone — a little further on a 
 painted woman caught hold of his arm only to be 
 shaken off with an oath — so he sped on and on 
 through the dark night until at last he reached a 
 lonely spot where he came to a standstill and there 
 he stayed leaning his arms on the stone parapet. 
 For a long time he stood there looking across the 
 dark river and over his own desolate future. In his 
 heart a terrible question fought fiercely with the 
 knowledge that a jury of impartial men had found 
 guilt in the man and woman whose denials had 
 been so full of indignation and of warning. If his 
 wife and his friend were innocent of offence after 
 all, and he had in his anger — Oh, Grod ! — oh, 
 God ! — ” he cried to the fierce night, and for answer 
 there was only the sound of his own sobs and the 
 scalding pain of his own bitter tears as they fell 
 upon his clay-cold hands below. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 *‘THE LINK MUST BREAK.’* 
 
 For a few days Adair remained in his rooms in 
 Jermyn Street, seeing nobody, not going out of 
 doors during the day, eating next to nothing 
 and then, after the dusk had fallen, spending hours 
 tearing up and down the almost deserted embank- 
 ment or standing resting his arms on the stone 
 parapet and staring wretchedly at the dark sullen 
 water below. 
 
 At last on the third night after the dreadful day 
 in the Court, when he had been standing motionless 
 for nearly an hour, a policeman came up and 
 touched him on the shoulder. 
 
 Adair looked up — Well — what is it?” he asked. 
 
 The policeman coughed apologetically. If Adair 
 had been in rags instead of the good clothes of a 
 rich man, he would have taken him by the arm with 
 a rough, even though it might be kindly — “ Come, 
 young man, you’ll get no comfort staring at that 
 ’ere water — you’d best move on.” As it was he 
 coughed — ‘^I’ve seen you hereabouts for several 
 evenings. Sir. I — I thought — I’m afraid you’re in 
 trouble. Sir.” 
 
 Yes,” answered Adair briefly. 
 
 “ Well, Sir — people in trouble do desperate things 
 sometimes, and it’s our business to stop them if we 
 can. I wouldn’t get looking too long at the water 
 if I were you — it seems to draw you like.” 
 
 Adair laughed, a harsh laugh without a trace of 
 mirth about it. My good fellow ” — he said — ‘‘ I 
 
*‘THE LINK MUST BREAK.’ 
 
 23 
 
 haven’t the very smallest intention of going over 
 there,” — pointing to the water gleaming here and 
 there as it was touched by the lamplight — ‘‘if I 
 had had any inclination that way I should have done 
 it several days ago. But I’m obliged to you, Police- 
 man, all the same.” 
 
 The policeman looked, as he felt, rather sceptical. 
 “You’ll excuse me. Sir, but I don’t like to leave 
 you here. You look desperate bad — hadn’t you 
 better be going home ? ” 
 
 “ Home ” — echoed the other bitterly — then 
 remembered that the man knew nothing of him or 
 his story. “ Look here. Policeman,” he said suddenly 
 changing his tone — “you’re a good fellow — here’s a 
 sovereign for you — I’ll walk as far as Charing Cross 
 with you if you’re going that way. Policeman — I 
 hadn’t any intention of putting myself in the water, 
 that’s not my form at all. But I doubt if there’s 
 a more miserable devil in the three kingdoms than 
 I am.” 
 
 “ I’m sorry for that. Sir,” said the policeman 
 sympathetically — and in truth he thought that Adair 
 was out of his mind more or less — “ and I hope 
 you’ll understand that I meant no offence at all in 
 speaking to you. You see. Sir, a good many poor 
 things get into the water somehow, and if they’re in 
 a position to give their account afterwards they 
 generally say as they didn’t know how it happened. 
 For my part I’m always more easy in my mind 
 when them that’s in trouble is out o’ sound of the 
 river.” 
 
 They walked on a few steps further and then 
 Adair suddenly stopped in the full light of a gas- 
 lamp. “ You’ve heard of the Adair case ? ” he 
 asked. “Yes! Well — I am Adair. Now you’ll be 
 able to understand why I find the dark embankment 
 more pleasant than my club, and that my home has 
 not much attraction for me.” 
 
24 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 I see, Sir,” replied the policeman now thoroughly 
 surprised — I’ve thought it very ’ard lines on you, 
 Sir, all along. But I wouldn’t loiter about — 
 thoughts may come into your head that’ll be ’ard 
 to drive out, and it’s a bitter night too. You’ll 
 get over it after a bit. Sir — p’raps there’s better 
 times in store.” 
 
 Something in the man’s tone made Adair pull 
 himself together in a minute — Ah ! well, I was 
 bound to satisfy you, Policeman, and I’m obliged to 
 you. Grood night.” 
 
 He hailed a passing cab and got into it. No. 
 
 00 Jermyn Street,” he said, and the next moment 
 the policeman was alone on the wind-swept pave- 
 ment. H’m,” he muttered — there’s another of 
 ’em gone wrong through a hussy of a woman. Aye 
 but the women have a lot to answer for. And as 
 for that one, if a fine handsome young feller like 
 ’im did not satisfy her, she ought to be trounced, 
 that’s all.” 
 
 And Adair in the course of a few minutes reached 
 his chambers and went straight upstairs, and as he 
 flung open the door of his sitting-room, a man who 
 was sitting near the table got up and said Gfood 
 evening. Sir,” in a quiet respectful tone. 
 
 Adair started and looked at him more closely by 
 the dim light of the shaded lamp — Oh ! it’s you, 
 Jenkins, is it ? ” he exclaimed. “ Well — what brings 
 you here ? Is anything wrong ? ” 
 
 Jenkins coughed behind his hat — I have had 
 no proper orders. Sir ” — he replied. When 
 Mrs. Adair left on Tuesday immediately after 
 
 the — the ” he hesitated for a word and Adair 
 
 made an impatient gesture to signify that he 
 understood. 
 
 Well?” he said. «Goon.”^ 
 
 When the mistress left. Sir, she told me that 
 
 1 was to wait for your orders, and that she thought 
 
*‘THE LINK MUST BEEAK. 
 
 25 
 
 you would probably be coming the next day. We 
 
 should like to know ” 
 
 What I’m going to do ? ” interposed Adair 
 harshly. “ Then you’ll all have to do without 
 knowing — I don’t know myself, Jenkins, so 1 
 cannot tell you. You can go on very well as you 
 are.” 
 
 Excuse me, Sir,” returned Jenkins with studied 
 politeness — but if you would be so kind as to look 
 over the plate and the valuables I should be more 
 easy in my mind. And — and I should be glad to 
 
 give you my notice ” 
 
 Your notice ” — cried Adair more thoroughly 
 astonished than he had ever been in all his life 
 before — your notice, Jenkins ! Why — what on 
 earth are you talking about, man ? ” 
 
 Jenkins drew himself up — Well, Master 
 Eichard,” he said, unconsciously reverting to the 
 way in which he had been used to address him 
 twenty years before — “ Well, Master Eichard, I 
 daresay you will think that it’s no business of mine 
 and that a servant, even an old one like me, that’s 
 been in the family man and boy for over thirty 
 years, ought to have no feelings of any kind, but 
 the truth is I am deeply attached to the young 
 mistress and I can’t get over the feeling that 
 wrong’s been done. And she has been wronged, 
 Master Eichard, as sure as you and I are stood here 
 together at this moment.” 
 
 But Adair shook his head — ‘‘ No, Jenkins, no — 
 she had the cleverest lawyers in England to try and 
 prove her innocent and they couldn’t do it.” 
 
 Who could prove anything when they had to 
 deal with a liar like Eosalie Vallin ? ” Jenkins 
 asked sturdily. *‘You may believe me. Master 
 Eichard, I didn’t live in the same house with 
 Eosalie Vallin for three years without knowing her 
 well and being able to read her through and 
 
26 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 through like a book. I knew her better than the 
 others did, far] better, for she had an idea at one 
 time that we might do together better than we were 
 likely to do apart. I believe she flew as high as 
 Arlington Street and three sets of titled] lodgers. 
 But not for me — no, Master Eichard, if ever old 
 Jenkins makes such a hass of himself as marrying 
 it’ll not be to Kosalie Vallin, nor any other French 
 hussy that finds her own country too hot to hold 
 her. But I got to know her well — and I have my 
 own opinion as to what her behaviour to Mrs. Adair 
 means ” 
 
 She always behaved well enough. I never 
 heard Mrs. Adair blame her in my life,” Adair said. 
 
 But you didn’t expect. Sir, that the mistress’s 
 own maid would be the one to turn round and ruin 
 her, did you ? It was Kosalie that brought you 
 that letter — it was Kosalie’s manner that made you 
 open it — it was somehow or other through Kosalie 
 that the letter ever came to be there at all.” 
 
 “ Eubbish ! ” cried Adair quickly. 
 
 But Jenkins shook his head. Well, Sir, Fve 
 had nothing to say about it so far, out of obedience 
 to the mistress’s wishes, and when the lawyers came 
 and asked to see me she said, *No, if my character 
 to the world is not good enough to refute this 
 charge, I would rather not refute it by bringing my 
 own servants to give me a reference. Those that 
 are against me can go and give their false evidence 
 against me — those that wish to please me will 
 please me best by remaining perfectly silent on the 
 subject.’ So until the trial was over, we upper ser- 
 vants kept silent ; but now that it is done with, I 
 feel able to express to certain persons exactly what 
 I have felt about it all along.” 
 
 “ And you have felt ” asked Adair. 
 
 “ That Kosalie Vallin had a motive in arranging 
 the whole thing,” said Jenkins bluntly. 
 
«THE LINK MUST BREAK.’ 
 
 27 
 
 Nonsense — what motive could she have ? She 
 was greatly attached to Mrs. Adair — she gave her 
 
 evidence most unwillingly and with tears ” 
 
 Ah ! she was always a dab hand at that,” mut- 
 tered Jenkins drily. But she was paid for it all, 
 and likely enough the tears was an extra.” 
 
 But who could or would pay her to do anything 
 of the sort ? ” Adair cried. You forget, Jenkins, 
 all this is not a story-book — it is hard, sober, 
 solemn, damnable fact. You’ll say next that I paid 
 Rosalie.” 
 
 *‘No — no. Master Richard,” said Jenkins in a 
 wise tone, ‘‘ but I do think you might have bought 
 the truth of her if you had bid high enough.” 
 
 Pooh ! The woman who would lie on one side 
 would lie on the other side. Besides she was a 
 perfectly respectable young woman and came to 
 Mrs. Adair with an excellent character, a long cha- 
 racter too, from a lady of the highest position. As 
 a matter of fact I opened that letter by the merest 
 chance and simply because I wanted to know what 
 Captain St. John was doing before I went out. I 
 had no thought that Mrs. Adair would mind — she 
 opened my letters often enough and I hers. I had 
 no suspicion until I was made suspicious, more than 
 suspicious, by Captain St. John’s own words. And 
 even then — why the devil didn’t you come and tell 
 me all this at first ? ” 
 
 ‘‘ I obeyed Mrs. Adair’s orders, Master Richard,” 
 Jenkins said promptly. And as you went away 
 out of the house I supposed you wished me to do 
 so. Besides I did not know for certain, Sir, but 
 that you wished to ” 
 
 But Adair was fast losing patience. ‘^Good 
 Heavens, man, don’t you know that I would rather 
 have had her proved innocent than guilty ? Don’t 
 you understand that the whole affair has been more 
 bitter than death to me ? Don’t you see that I 
 
28 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 am thoroughly crashed with all that I have gone 
 through ? Look at me, Jenkins, do I look like a 
 man who is glad to get rid of his wife ? ” 
 
 You look mortal bad. Master Eichard,” Jenkins 
 admitted, but the poor young mistress if you’d 
 seen her ” 
 
 Oh ! for Grod’s sake stop,” Adair cried pas- 
 sionately; ‘‘ it’s bad enough as it is, desolate enough, 
 wretched enough. I don’t want to hear any more. 
 I thought you were as fixed in Grrosvenor Street as 
 the Poles — but now the sooner you and I see the 
 last of one another the better. As to the house. 
 I’ll see Mr. Froggart about it to-morrow — it will be 
 sold, or — anyway he will see about it. There, go. 
 Good night, Jenkins. Good bye.” 
 
 So Adair was left alone but with a new idea, for a 
 little frail tender hope had sprung up in his mind, 
 that perhaps if his wife appealed against the verdict, 
 a fresh light might be brought to bear upon the 
 character of Eosalie Vallin, and that the testimony 
 of Jenkins and the other old servants in Grosvenor 
 Street might be brought forward in their mistress’s 
 favour. Then, who knows what might happen — 
 
 Hope and he But no,— Hope was false, and 
 
 they could never come together again now, not 
 together in reality as they had been once, even 
 though the verdict might be reversed and the im- 
 possible made possible. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 WHAT IS TO BE DONE? 
 
 But Richard Adair did not break up the house in 
 Grosvenor Street, although as early as was practic- 
 able the next morning he went to his lawyer’s 
 office and announced that such was his intention. 
 
 “ Sell everything,” repeated the lawyer, looking 
 at him over his spectacles — ‘‘H’m — that seems a 
 great pity.” 
 
 I know it’s a pity,” Adair burst out irritably — 
 it’s all a pity, but I can’t — at least I won’t live 
 in that house by myself — I’d as soon live in my 
 grave.” 
 
 You may not always wish to live in it by your- 
 self,” remarked the lawyer meaningly. 
 
 Adair moved restlessly on his chair — That’s as 
 may be,” he answered brusquely. At present I 
 don’t feel like running the risk. I shall never 
 believe in anyone again, Froggart.” 
 
 Mr. Froggart looked at him over the spectacles 
 again, “ H’m ! ” he said drily. 
 
 Adair looked up — What do you mean by that ? ” 
 he asked abruptly. 
 
 The lawyer, who had known Adair from a boy, 
 shrugged his shoulders — You would not be per- 
 suaded to stay proceedings or to give your wife 
 another chance, my dear sir. You seemed most 
 eager to get a divorce and now that you have got 
 it ” 
 
 There isn’t a more miserable devil than I on 
 earth,” Adair interrupted promptly — you’re quite 
 
so 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 right, Froggart, quite right. But what is to be 
 done about it ? ” 
 
 Nothing can be done, Mr. Adair,’’ replied the 
 lawyer, in a tone which utterly extinguished the 
 little ray of hope that had, in spite of all, still 
 lingered in the unhappy young man’s breast. 
 
 Nothing can be done from our side. Mrs. Adair 
 may appeal, that is if she has any fresh evidence 
 she may produce it when the case comes on again 
 for the decree to be made absolute. Or she may 
 do so during the time fixed by the judge, it may be 
 a week more or less. If she has anything fresh to 
 say, she will be given a chance of saying it. But 
 Mrs. Adair has no intention of questioning the 
 verdict — she simply accepts it.” 
 
 How do you know ? ” Adair cried eagerly. 
 
 I was told so yesterday on authority which I 
 believe to be good. The exact words were that all 
 the appeals in the world could not undo what has 
 been done and that she would rather die than go 
 through another day in Court. In one respect she 
 is right — nothing can undo what has been done ! I 
 begged you to think of that when you first con- 
 sulted me on the subject.” 
 
 Adair said nothing, but sat with his eyes fixed on 
 space — a fine handsome young man with every line 
 of face and figure stamped with misery. The dry- 
 as-dust old lawyer did not pity him one bit ! 
 
 She is still in Grrosvenor Street, I suppose,” 
 he said after a minute or two, finding that his 
 client was still silent. 
 
 She has left it,” replied Adair briefly. 
 
 ‘‘ And gone ? ” 
 
 ‘‘ I do not know.” 
 
 And her means of living — There were settle- 
 ments.” 
 
 ‘‘ I believe that she has gone absolutely away. I 
 believe that she will never touch one penny of that 
 
WHAT IS TO BE DONE? 
 
 31 
 
 money — it was eight hundred a year. Look here, 
 Froggart; on Tuesday night she came to see me — she. 
 She brought me the keys of the safe and of her desk. 
 She still swears that she is innocent and — and — I 
 have had a letter from St. John — I — I — Froggart, 
 I wish to Grod I had never begun this business. I 
 — I’d take her back to-morrow, innocent or not, if 
 she’d come.” 
 
 The lawyer’s next words acted like a douche of 
 cold water upon the heat of his passion. Is she 
 with St. John ? ” he enquired, with an appearance 
 of interest which made Adair long wildly to knock 
 him down. 
 
 I think not — I feel sure not. I met him just 
 now in Pall Mall.” 
 
 Adair did not add that Captain St. John had 
 looked, or seemed to look, right through him as if he 
 were a mist or a blank, and that so far from feeling 
 the outraged and wronged one of the two, he had 
 never felt so small or so mean in all his life — and 
 Adair was not a small man by any means for he 
 stood just over six feet and was nearly three inches 
 taller than the man who had once been his best 
 friend. 
 
 H’m — And you think of getting rid of the 
 house in Grrosvenor Street,” Mr. Froggart remarked. 
 
 wouldn’t if I were you. For one thing you 
 would lose tremendously over it — every one loses at 
 sales. Why shouldn’t you let the house for the 
 season as it stands ? You will be more decided in 
 your mind about it later on.” 
 
 Adair rose to his feet. Well, Froggart,” he 
 said, I don’t in the least care what you do with it. 
 I’ll give you the keys and you can put the diamonds 
 and the plate into the bank — you have the lists of 
 both. For the rest, let it or sell it as you think 
 fit, only don’t bother me about it. I am going 
 abroad at once — I’m going to — well, Froggart, I 
 
32 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 don’t know where I am going — somewhere, any- 
 where out of the way of people I know. After a 
 while I daresay I shall get over all this — as it is, I 
 can’t stand what my friends have to say about it and 
 still worse what they look about it. Only yesterday 
 I met a man in St. James’ Street who stopped and 
 shook my hand as if it was a pump-handle and he 
 wanted to work the sympathy up. ‘ How are you, 
 old chap ? ’ he said, in what he meant to be a 
 sympathetic tone — D — n him, I hated him. I’d 
 like to have knocked him down,” he ended irritably. 
 
 ‘‘ It must be very painful for you,” remarked Mr. 
 Froggart with a dry sniff. 
 
 I have said that Mr. Froggart did not feel any 
 sympathy whatever for his client, nor did he pretend 
 to do so. He had not thought, on first hearing of 
 Adair’s determination to go in for a divorce, that 
 his case was a very strong one. He had, in fact, 
 put before him all the disadvantages of his taking 
 that course whatever the verdict might happen to 
 be, and as he had forcibly put it, in all such cases 
 
 the verdict is more or less a toss-up.” 
 
 As strongly as he could he had urged the de- 
 sirability of condoning the somewhat doubtful 
 offence ; but Adair had been unbending and un- 
 yielding, he had talked a good deal of his outraged 
 honour, had insisted on going in for a divorce and 
 therefore Mr. Froggart had done his best to get it 
 for him, succeeding easily and altogether beyond 
 his own expectations. And now that all was over 
 and Adair had no choice but to face the fact that 
 his wife was his wife no longer and that he would 
 have to live out the rest of his life without her, 
 Mr. Froggart had but very little patience with the 
 unhappiness and dissatisfaction which he showed so 
 plainly. 
 
 ‘‘I think” — he continued in a calm judicial tone 
 — that you are doing very wisely to go abroad for 
 
WHAT IS TO BE DONE? SS 
 
 a time — it is wonderful in London what short 
 memories people have, and the greatest scandal is 
 over and forgotten in a few days. But about the 
 house — it is practically a necessity for you to go 
 over it at least once.” 
 
 No, Froggart, you can do it very well,” Adair 
 replied. 
 
 But Mr. Froggart had no intention of letting his 
 headstrong young client so easily off the conse- 
 quences and duties which had been brought about 
 entirely by his own course of action. He had done 
 his best to stave off the divorce suit and Adair 
 would have none of his wisdom ; so now he would 
 not spare him any of the many unpleasantnesses 
 which had naturally followed in its train. 
 
 My dear sir,” he said quietly, there are 
 diamonds and plate, family diamonds and family 
 plate of which I have lists. But there are also to 
 my certain knowledge a good many jewels both of 
 your mother’s and your wife’s and also much silver 
 of which there is no list. For the sake of the poor 
 lady whose home the house has been for five years, 
 it is absolutely necessary that you should be satis- 
 fied that she has taken nothing away with her. It 
 is due also to my old friend, Jenkins, that you 
 should see that everything is right before you leave 
 the country.” 
 
 Very well,” Adair returned, seeing that he could 
 not well get out of what he knew would be the most 
 unpalatable task of all — since you put it in that 
 way, Froggart, of course I must go. When will you 
 go — to-day — to-morrow ? ” 
 
 “To-morrow I am busy all day — I have six or 
 seven appointments,” Mr. Froggart replied — “I 
 shall be free at five o’clock this afternoon if you are 
 anxious to get it over.” 
 
 “ I am — ^I’ll be there at five,” Adair said, moving 
 to the door. “ By the bye, Froggart, Jenkins has 
 
 3 
 
34 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 given me the sack,” with a hard laugh at the make- 
 believe joke. 
 
 Jenkins — given'^you notice,” echoed the lawyer 
 — and why ? ” 
 
 His ostensible reason was his deep attachment 
 to his mistress and his sense of the wrong that I 
 have done her,” answered the other bitterly. 
 
 Ah ! well, of course if he feels like that, he is 
 quite right to leave you,” Mr. Froggart remarked — 
 
 must say Jenkins is a man for whom I have 
 always entertained a great respect — a great respect 
 
 ” but Adair had not waited to hear the end of 
 
 the sentence and Mr. Froggart sat down again at 
 his desk, alternately shaking his head and nodding 
 wisely at nothing. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 GOOD-BYE TO HOPE! 
 
 Adair’s first act after leaving the lawyer’s office was 
 to go into the nearest telegraph office and send a 
 message to Jenkins which would let him know that 
 he would be in Grrosvenor Street at five o’clock. 
 This done he had to get through the day as best he 
 could ; but, although he went to one or two shops 
 and even forced himself to go into his club and 
 make a pretence of eating some lunch, the hours 
 dragged heavily away and he was punctual to the 
 very moment, when he drove up to the house in 
 Grosvenor Street. 
 
 It was a large and handsome house, rich in fine 
 ceilings and large heavy doors which swung back 
 with a great sweep almost flat against the walls in 
 which they stood. The hall was large and spacious, 
 with red and blue Turkey carpets spread upon it 
 and upon the wide shallow stairs which led to the 
 upper part of the house. 
 
 There w^ere pictures and china and quaint 
 
GOOD-BYE TO HOPEI 
 
 35 
 
 curiosities everywhere, which gave the place an 
 appearance of luxury and culture. Adair looked 
 round the hall — which he had not seen for more 
 than three months — with eager yet sad eyes. Oh ! 
 it was a hard wrench to force himself to look once 
 more upon the dainty nest which he had made with 
 such lavish cost and care for his love, his false love, 
 as he reminded himself bitterly. 
 
 Is Mr. Froggart here — has he come ? ” he asked 
 of Jenkins. 
 
 “Mr. Froggart is in the library. Sir,” Jenkins 
 answered, in the every-day unmoved voice which he 
 always wore officially. 
 
 Adair went to the library without another word ; 
 he found Mr. Froggart sitting comfortably before a 
 good fire which Jenkins had lighted as soon as he 
 received his master’s telegram. 
 
 “ You are here before me, Froggart,” Adair said 
 civilly — “ I hope I haven’t kept you waiting.” 
 
 “ Not at all. I have only been here a few 
 minutes,” the lawyer replied. 
 
 “ Can I olTer you anything ? ” 
 
 “ Nothing at all, thanks. I am ready to begin 
 whenever you like.” 
 
 But Adair had, apparently, no desire to hurry. 
 He got up from the chair on which he had scarcely 
 sat for a minute and wandered once or twice round 
 the room, opening a book here, touching a little 
 ornament there. “ She used to like this room,” he 
 said at last, half under his breath — “ she often used 
 to sit here with me when she was — but there what’s 
 the good of thinking of that ? It’s all over and 
 done with now — I suppose she’ll go and sit in St. 
 John’s study now. Well” — turning round to Mr. 
 Froggart with a stifled sigh — “ I suppose we needn’t 
 go over the chairs and tables ! Any auctioneer’s man 
 can do that, and Jenkins is as honest as the day. 
 What is it you want me to see ? ” 
 
 3 * 
 
36 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 First of all,” said the lawyer in a dry tone, to 
 see that all papers are locked up. Or did you clear 
 them all out when — when you left home ? ” 
 
 I touched nothing — took nothing but my 
 cheque-book,” Adair replied bitterly — I cleared 
 myself out that was all. I let all the rest slide.” 
 
 Then they should all be looked over, rubbish 
 should be destroyed and anything of importance 
 preserved,” said Mr. Froggart. 
 
 It will take hours,” exclaimed Adair feverishly. 
 
 Froggart, I really cannot and will not do it. You 
 can come and sort them over at your leisure — you 
 know better than I what to do with them.” 
 
 Yes — 1 could do the ordinary papers, and will if 
 you wish it” Mr. Froggart answered dispassionately 
 - — but the more private ones, I cannot. You 
 must have some private papers — letters for instance 
 — which you would not wish even me to meddle 
 with.” 
 
 For a moment Adair stood irresolute. Yes,” he 
 said, in a strangled voice — I have all her letters in 
 that drawer — but — but they can stop there.” 
 
 Not if you let the house — it will be best — ” 
 
 Adair did not wait for him to finish the sentence 
 — I’ll put them all in the fire ” — he said roughly, 
 and taking a small bunch of keys from his waistcoat 
 pocket, he unlocked the drawer and pulled it open. 
 
 There were several thick packets of letters each 
 tied up with a bit of narrow ribbon. Adair took out 
 the one nearest to him and looked at it. He had 
 destroyed all the envelopes and his eyes fell upon 
 the beginning of a letter dated three years back. 
 
 Darling Dick ” — it began — don’t wait in for me. 
 I have had a note from Madame Georgine asking 
 me to go there at once about my drawing-room 
 
 gown. I ” and there the letter was folded and 
 
 the sentence was broken. 
 
 For a moment he stood irresolute, staring at the 
 
GOOD-BYE TO HOPE 1 
 
 37 
 
 words, the tender words, which he had kept as he 
 had kept every scrap of writing she had ever sent 
 him — then he flung it back into its place and locked 
 the drawer again. 
 
 It’s no good, Froggart, I haven’t got the heart 
 to burn them, and I won’t let the house at all,” he 
 cried. It’s been my home for five years — my God, 
 what happy years — and I won’t sully it by putting a 
 commercial value upon it. 1*11 send for Mrs. Potter ; 
 she was my nurse once, you know. Mrs. Potter will 
 take charge of everything, and you pay the 
 wages — she must have a couple of maids, you 
 can hand over three or four pounds a week for 
 them to live on. Then nothing need be touched 
 and if I’m ill or anything I shall have a place of my 
 own to come to.” 
 
 As you like best,” replied Mr. Froggart — Then 
 we will look over the plate and the jewellery and 
 leave all the rest.” 
 
 As Adair agreed to this they went next to 
 Jenkins’ pantry where he produced the book con- 
 taining the list of plate and brought out and counted 
 everything before them. 
 
 ‘‘ Never mind putting them back now,” said 
 Adair impatiently. You can do that when we’re 
 gone.” 
 
 Don’t you want the keys. Sir ? ” Jenkins asked. 
 
 ‘‘ The keys — Why, what the devil should I do 
 with them ? ” Adair burst out irritably. Am I 
 suddenly to find out that I can’t trust you, after 
 all these years ? What are you talking about, man? 
 To-morrow you will have to take it all into the bank 
 — you can leave out enough spoons and forks for 
 two persons’ use.” 
 
 ‘‘Very good. Sir. Then there is all that old 
 silver in the boudoir — that in the two little glass- 
 topped tables. There has never been a list of that, 
 except what I have made out this week.” 
 
38 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 Very well — it can go with the rest of the silver 
 to the bank,” Adair replied. 
 
 Perhaps you will just look over it, Sir ” — 
 Jenkins asked. 
 
 ^‘Very well — very well. Then, Froggart, we’ll 
 go upstairs and get that over at once, eh ? ” 
 
 As you wish,” with a gesture of assent. 
 
 Adair therefore promptly marched upstairs and 
 went into the lovely yellow and white boudoir which 
 his wife had been used to call ^ the Nest.’ It was 
 such a dainty and charming room, and oh ! what a 
 pang it cost him to go in and look round it. There 
 were two old Dutch inlaid tables with glass tops 
 and a well lined with deep red velvet the better to 
 show off the pretty silver trifles which lay within. 
 
 Jenkins got to business at once with a stolid air 
 of indifference which he was in reality very far from 
 feeling. He opened the lid of the first case and 
 reading out from the list he had brought with him, 
 he pointed out one bit of silver after another to 
 his master, while Mr. Froggart stood by, silent and 
 viligant, watching Adair’s fast whitening face and 
 wild haggard eyes. 
 
 Three muffineers — date of Cromwell,” Jenkins 
 read out — Silver box with crest and monogram F. 
 H. — date 1720 — Silver box, mother-o’-pearl lining, 
 date 1760 — Silver pail, modern — silver pen, modern 
 — Silver snuff-box date 1802 — Silver snuff-box, with 
 agate in lid, initials, N. L. date 1 723 — Silver figure 
 of Bacchus, antique — Silver salts, date Charles First 
 — Silver shoe buckles — Silver sweetmeat box, date 
 1747 — Small silver platter, date of Cromwell.” 
 
 Yes, all right,” said Adair — ‘^and the other.” 
 
 In truth the man’s nerves were strung up to such 
 a pitch that he scarcely knew how to get through 
 that part of the task which still remained before 
 him. For every little trifle that lay in the little 
 case brought with it a crowd of bitter memories, 
 
GOOD-BYE TO HOPE! 
 
 39 
 
 bitter because until now they had been so bright. 
 Hope’s fancy for gathering a collection of quaint 
 old silver together had been quite a new one, and 
 she had been very judicious in her way of gratifying 
 it. She had not been unduly keen to fill her little 
 tables, but had picked up a piece here and another 
 there when she had happened to come across them. 
 And many a pilgrimage had he made with her down 
 unfrequented streets and even into pawn-brokers’ 
 shops in quest of some quaint toy or small box of 
 the precious metal with which to enrich her small 
 collection. 
 
 And the second table was still more fraught with 
 memories, for it was not devoted exclusively to 
 treasures of silver. There was a small ivory figure 
 from Herculaneum, a marriage medal of Napoleon 
 and Marie-Louise of Austria, and a commemoration 
 medal of Charles the First, the Martyr King, 
 which had in its time been worn round the neck 
 of some faithful Cavalier. There were one or two 
 carved ivory pins which had graced the head 
 of some Roman matron or maid in ancient times, 
 and there were half-a-dozen miniatures which 
 they had picked up in different places and had 
 meant to have mounted on a velvet shield when 
 they had gathered a dozen together. Besides 
 these there were some toys in silver which they 
 had acquired in the Low Countries, some fine 
 Italian cameos without setting, and also various 
 specimens of Indian filigree-work. And to see them 
 all now was, to Adair, like tearing his heart out by 
 the roots. 
 
 He turned abruptly away as Jenkins read out 
 the last item. 
 
 ‘^Now there’s only the jewellery,” he said im- 
 patiently. “ That will do, Jenkins. We shall not 
 want you any more.” 
 
 Very good, Sir,” replied Jenkins, who was 
 
40 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 almost as thankful to get the business over as his 
 master. 
 
 “ Will you come up with me at once ? ” Adair 
 said to Mr. Froggart. 
 
 Certainly,” said the lawyer. 
 
 So he led the way upstairs to the room which had 
 been his dressing-room. 
 
 ‘‘ I quite thought the safe was in here,” said Mr. 
 Froggart looking round the room. 
 
 ‘‘Yes, so it is — but we hid it,” Adair replied. 
 
 He opened the door of a cupboard as he spoke, 
 then swung back the heavy iron door of ithe safe 
 and shewed all its valuable contents protected by 
 leather cases. It was a long list, but they soon got 
 through it. Mr. Froggart read it over and Adair 
 pointed out each article. 
 
 “ Now, is there anything else ? ” the lawyer 
 asked. 
 
 “ I don’t think so.” 
 
 “ Hadn’t we better look into the bedroom and see 
 what may be left there ? ” Mr. Froggart suggested. 
 
 “ Oh ! I don’t think so — but you can go in if you 
 like,” Adair added. 
 
 “ Oh, you had better just look round,” returned 
 the lawyer with mild persistence — “ perhaps there 
 is nothing there at all. Come now, my dear sir, you 
 will be better when you have got it over.” 
 
 But Adair was obstinate. “ No, Froggart, I don’t 
 want to go in there, though if it’s necessary I’ll do 
 it. You look round yourself and then if you think 
 I must come, I will.” 
 
 With that Mr. Froggart was obliged to be con- 
 tented, so he went on his errand and Adair wandered 
 restlessly up and down the room. It was not a very 
 small one, and was luxuriously fitted with a marble 
 bath in an alcove and many pictures on the walls — 
 nothing of value, but the greater part of those which 
 had adorned his rooms at Oxford, and many photo- 
 
GOOD-BYE TO HOPE! 
 
 41 
 
 graphs which he had become possessed of since 
 those happy and careless days. Among them was 
 one beautiful picture of his wife, Hope. It was 
 only a photograph, but although she had been done 
 in more costly ways several times, in oils for the 
 Academy and in pastels for the Grosvenor, this was 
 the one of all which had always pleased him the 
 best. He stood now looking at it with all his love- 
 torn soul in his eyes — Oh ! Hope — Hope — Hope — ■ 
 How could you ? ” he burst out. But the sweet 
 smiling eyes smiled at him still; there was no 
 change, no answer, it was only a picture, the outer 
 husk of what she, his wife, had once been to him ! 
 
 ‘‘My dear Mr. Adair ” said the lawyer ccming 
 
 in again, but Adair turned to him with blinded eyes 
 and a quivering mouth. 
 
 “ Froggart,” he said — “it’s not necessary for you 
 to call me Mister Adair — I was too many years just 
 Dick to you for you to be so formal now ; it makes 
 me feel so lonely, so — so — much an outcast.” 
 
 The dry old lawyer melted a little towards him. 
 “ It scarcely sounds the thing for a lawyer to be 
 calling his — his — er client, Dick ; but if you wish it, 
 we will drop the prehx. I’ll call you Adair in 
 future.” 
 
 “That’s better,” Adair said, trying hard to choke 
 down that weak womanly something in his throat 
 which seemed to get bigger and more inconvenient 
 every minute. 
 
 “I think, Adair,” Mr. Froggart said, “that you’ll 
 be obliged to just glance over the drawers and 
 wardrobes. Mrs. Adair seems to have taken little 
 or nothing with her — there are all her gowns hang- 
 ing up and her furs, everything apparently just as 
 she left them.” 
 
 “ What — hasn’t she even taken her clothes ? ” 
 Adair cried. 
 
 “ Very few, if any,” Mr. Froggart replied. 
 
42 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 Adair turned away to the window. I — I can’t 
 think of Hope without all the pretty things she was 
 so fond of. Froggart,” he added passionately — ‘‘ I 
 hope to Heaven she has gone to St. John — she’s not 
 fit to live alone, she was never made for it. If — 
 if — he ever ill-uses her, I’ll kill him — I swear I 
 will.” 
 
 Hush — hush ! Such things are best left unsaid,” 
 murmured the lawyer soothingly. ‘‘ Come, let us 
 get our work done and go away. You will lock the 
 door of the safe, eh ? Why, what’s that ? ” pointing 
 to something on the floor of the cupboard. 
 
 It is her dressing-bag — I gave it to her the day 
 we were married,” Adair answered bitterly. She 
 has indeed shaken the very dust of my belongings 
 off her feet.” 
 
 You could not’ expect or indeed wish anything 
 else,” remarked the lawyer whose tone at once 
 became dry and business-like in correspondence to 
 the bitterness in Adair’s. Is there anything in 
 it ? I mean besides its fittings.” 
 
 Oh ! I should think not. It can go with the 
 rest of the things,” Adair said. 
 
 And then he opened it, seeing at a glance that 
 there was nothing within but its legitimate contents 
 excepting an envelope addressed to himself. He 
 hesitated for an instant, but broke the seal then 
 and took out something wrapped in a bit of cotton- 
 wool and a sheet of soft paper. And when he 
 opened those, there slipped into the palm of his 
 hand the great half-hoop of rubies which had been 
 Hope Deering’s engagement-ring. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? 
 
 In course of time the decree to dissolve the marriage 
 between Richard Adair and his wife, Hope, was 
 made absolute, and each was as free as air to marry 
 or not as they chose or to take what path in life 
 they thought most fit. 
 
 Mrs. Adair did not appear, but her lawyers 
 intimated that she had neither the desire nor 
 intention to show cause why the decree should not 
 be made absolute ; and Adair’s heart seemed to turn 
 to water within him as he heard. He had only 
 returned to England a few days previous to the case 
 being called. He came back full of life and in the 
 best of spirits, if the truth be told as gay as any 
 boy at the mere thought of seeing Hope again if only 
 for a moment in Court or Chambers and in the fierce 
 light of enmity. But when the day came there 
 was no Hope, she made neither word nor sign, 
 except in that, through her lawyers, she quietly 
 accepted the verdict. 
 
 Against all etiquette, he impetuously began to 
 question her lawyer, meeting with a steady and 
 icy refusal to give him any information whatever. 
 Then he set Mr. Froggart the task of finding out 
 something, anything, about her if he could. 
 
 Naturally Mr. Froggart was more successful than 
 he had been ; but at the same time, he brought him 
 no actual news. 
 
 Her lawyers, he told him, did not know her 
 
44 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 address and had received their instructions imme- 
 diately after the first hearing. Mrs. Adair they had 
 not seen, and Mr. Froggart was not able to find 
 anyone who had seen her since the day on which 
 the decree nisi was pronounced ; so far indeed as 
 Adair was concerned she had apparently passed out 
 of his life on the evening that she bade him good- 
 bye in Jermyn Street, she had vanished as completely 
 as if she had been swallowed up by the dark night. 
 
 I think that the blank disappointment of not 
 seeing her was the most bitter trial that Adair had 
 yet undergone. For months past he had looked for- 
 ward to that day as if everything was bound to come 
 right then ; as the days went by he had thought 
 about her more instead of less^ he had hungered 
 and longed for her until the future seemed only a 
 desolate and dreary blank, the present an arid and 
 weary waste. Almost beyond the shadow of a 
 doubt, if he had seen her at that time he would 
 have asked her to let the doubts and troubles of the 
 past slide into oblivion and begin life anew together, 
 for he had found that, faithful or unfaithful, he 
 could not live without her. Yet when the day 
 came there was no Hope, not one word or sign to 
 show even whether she was alive or dead. 
 
 It was then June, the very height of a gay 
 London season. Adair remained in Town with a 
 vague idea that he would meet Hope somewhere or 
 other ; but instead of meeting Hope he met every 
 day one or other of his old friends, who each and 
 all welcomed him back with effusion to his old 
 haunts, and insisted on feasting him after the true 
 British fashion which tries to heal ail wounds with 
 meat and drink. 
 
 “ Not going out much now,” one gracious lady 
 repeated after him. Oh ! but my dear Mr. Adair, 
 why shut yourself up noiv. You must not let 
 yourself grow misanthropic, it’s such shocking form, 
 
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? 
 
 45 
 
 you know, and so uncomfortable for all your friends. 
 And you will be old before your time.” 
 
 Adair thought grimly that Mrs. Ponsonby would 
 never be open to a like charge herself, but before 
 he could speak she had rattled on. ‘‘ And what is 
 there to be gained by shutting yourself up from all 
 your friends ? Positively nothing— nothing. Of 
 course it is painful for you just at first, but every- 
 body sympathises so truly with you — Pm sure I 
 never was so surprised or so shocked in all my life. 
 I always thought she was so different. Not that I 
 blame her^ mind, at least not altogether. But 
 without doubt Captain St. John is a most insidious 
 person. All last season we were expecting an 
 engagement to come about between him and my 
 poor niece, Mary Maturin — they met at several 
 country houses in the autumn and everyone was full 
 of it. Then all this came out, and Mary has never 
 been the same since. Oh ! yes, she is engaged. 
 She is going to be married next month.” 
 
 And to whom ? ” asked Adrian, now deeply 
 interested. 
 
 To Lord Cannock. Old ? Oh ! yes, sixty if he’s 
 a day — but rich, you know, very rich and a good 
 position. And Mary looks thirty.” 
 
 But Miss Maturin is not ” 
 
 Thirty? Oh, dear no !” the lady cried — ‘‘just 
 twenty-two. Poor child, I shall be glad when the 
 marriage is over — she will feel more settled then.” 
 
 Adair did not speak, because he had no words in 
 which to express his thoughts at that moment. 
 His heart was torn in half-a-dozen ways — he had a 
 wild longing to go and kill St. John straight away 
 without a moment’s grace or quarter. And he felt 
 too an aching pity for the girl who had loved this 
 man and was going to try to heal the deep wound in 
 her heart with the companionship of a detestable 
 old rou6 like Lord Cannock. 
 
46 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 ‘‘Now I want you to come and dine with me this 
 evening, Mr. Adair,” the lady continued. “ I know 
 it won’t be pleasant to you at first, but I want you 
 to be brave and give life a new trial. I have a few 
 friends coming and I want another man to make 
 the table right, for my brother Jack, you remember 
 Jack, of course, has been sent oflf to Berlin at two 
 hours’ notice — Oh ! Jack’s a Queen’s messenger now. 
 Did you not know it ? Now say that you will 
 come.” 
 
 Adair looked from right to left, but he saw no 
 reasonable way out of the difficulty. “ Dear Mrs. 
 Ponsonby,” he said after a moment’s hesitation, “ I 
 shall only spoil your party.” 
 
 “ I will take the risk of that,” she answered 
 confidently. 
 
 But Adair still demurred. “ Mrs. Ponsonby,” he 
 said, “ I am not fit to go out — I’ve been living the 
 life of a hermit the last ten months. I don’t know 
 what is going on — I don’t take any interest in any* 
 thing and — and I would much rather not come,” he 
 broke off in desperation. 
 
 But Mrs. Ponsonby was a lady who liked her 
 own way in all things, and what was more to the 
 point, she generally got it. 
 
 Listen to me,” she said. “ I want you to come 
 as much for your good as for my pleasure; and 
 I mean you to come, so it is very little use our 
 arguing the question. You are not engaged this 
 evening, so I shall expect you at eight o’olock — the 
 same house in Cadogan Square.” 
 
 Then she got into her carriage which was waiting 
 beside the curb-stone, waved her hand to him and 
 was driven away. Adair stood a moment looking 
 after it. 
 
 “ That’s a persistent old woman,” he said to him- 
 self in no very complimentary mood towards the 
 lady, “ Hope always detested her,” and then he 
 
WHAT ARE WE WAITING- FOR? 
 
 47 
 
 sighed to think that Hope’s likes and dislikes would 
 be nothing to him now. 
 
 But all reluctant as he was, he had tacitly pledged 
 himself to go to her dinner-party and there was no 
 possible way out of the engagement, consistent with 
 ordinary politeness that is. So at two minutes past 
 eight, he went into the well-remembered drawing- 
 room in Cadogan Square where he found about a 
 dozen people already gathered together. Mrs. Pon- 
 sonby received him with a great show of affection 
 and a studied tenderness which made him feel 
 horribly uncomfortable. However, happily, and 
 even mercifully in some cases, a hostess cannot con- 
 fine herself long to one guest during the quarter-of- 
 an-hour which goes before a dinner, and after pre- 
 senting him to a young lady, with a whisper that 
 he was to take her in to dinner, Mrs. Ponsonby had 
 to turn her attention elsewhere. 
 
 As he had said earlier in the day, Adair had been 
 living the life of a hermit since he had separated 
 from Hope, and this was the very first time that he 
 had taken a lady in to dinner since the last time he 
 had gone to a similar entertainment with her ; it 
 was with a dreadful pang that he re-called the fact, 
 and he looked at the lady who was his fate for that 
 night with a feeling of repugnance, almost of dis- 
 gust. 
 
 She was not very young, five or six and twenty 
 perhaps, was pretty of a pink and white type, and 
 had rather perky features. And she had a demure 
 air of being very, very good, which accorded but 
 badly with the little sharp features and which would 
 have amused him immensely if he had not been so 
 miserable and had not felt so much like a caged 
 lion and out of his element. 
 
 But however miserable a man is he cannot stand 
 like a tailor’s dummy at a social entertainment ; he 
 must talk and appear as if nothing is wrong with 
 
/ 
 
 48 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 him, even though his heart is breaking. Adair had 
 to bow and say something civil, and then he stood 
 upright again, and looked round the room that he 
 might see who was there. And almost the first 
 person upon whom his eyes fell was Mary Maturin. 
 
 She, of course, had seen him come in, and had 
 therefore been expecting him to see her every mo- 
 ment. He moved towards her at once with a sort 
 of instinct that here was a heart which would 
 understand exactly all the pain and misery that he 
 was feeling. It would be hard to say which of the 
 two was the most ghastly white as their hands met. 
 
 I did not expect to see she murmured. 
 
 Nor I to be here until three hours ago,’’ he 
 answered. “ But Mrs. Ponsonby was short of a 
 man and insisted on my coming, I haven’t been 
 about before.” 
 
 Ah ! I go everywhere,” she said with a faint 
 sigh, then remembered that he perhaps did not 
 know of any reason why she should not be willing 
 to go everywhere as usual. Of course one goes 
 about a good deal at this time of year ; I’m getting 
 tired of it.” 
 
 He pressed the hand he still held in his. Yes, 
 yes. I understood you at first,” he said in a low 
 voice. 
 
 She looked up at him, “ You know all about it. 
 Yes. Everybody does. These people are all 
 revelling in our meeting like this, drinking in our 
 — our misery. And you do look miserable, Mr. 
 Adair.” 
 
 I look exactly what I am,” he replied. How- 
 ever, it’s no use wearing one’s heart on one’s sleeve. 
 I’ll go back to my lady and try to amuse her. We 
 shall meet again after dinner.” 
 
 Yes — yes, go back,” she said. 
 
 She understood — no one on earth better — the 
 advantage of keeping a brave front to the world. 
 
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? 
 
 49 
 
 She turned back to the man to whom she had been 
 talking before, and Adair wheeled round to return 
 to the young lady with the pink and white com- 
 plexion. But he did not get there without inter- 
 ruption— a little fairish woman with a giggle and 
 an audacious sort of manner put her hand on his 
 arm and stopped him. Oh, Mr. Adair, you haven’t 
 forgotten me I hope ? ” 
 
 Certainly not. Miss Tempest ” — with a grave 
 bow. How could I possibly forget you ? ” 
 
 Oh, Mr. Adair,” giggling again and glancing up 
 at him from under her eye-lashes. How sweet of 
 you to remember me. I think it’s so mean of 
 Margaret not to have sent me in to dinner with you. 
 I didn’t know you were coming until I saw you. 
 She has given me a boy. Such a boy, and she knows 
 I can’t bear boys.” 
 
 ‘‘ Let us hope you will have an alleviating cir- 
 cumstance on the other side,” said Adair. 
 
 Oh, I hope you’ll be on the other side,” Miss 
 Tempest burst out, then went very red and pulled 
 herself up short with her finger on her lips. Oh, 
 what have I said ? Eeally I didn’t quite mean that. 
 Only Margaret is so careful never to put me near 
 anyone nice — always.” 
 
 You are too kind to me,” murmured Adair in a 
 very low voice. 
 
 A remarkable kind of intoxication began to steal 
 over him. He was not fickle, indeed his was as 
 faithful and steadfast a nature as ever lived. But 
 for nine, nay, ten long months he had been feeding 
 on his own heart, going into no society, seeing none 
 of the people who constituted his world. And in- 
 stantly he began to feel the pleasure which the mere 
 association with well-mannered, well-dressed women 
 gives to most men. 
 
 A few minutes later they began to file down to 
 dinner — he with the finger-tips of the very demure 
 
 4 
 
50 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 young lady upon his arm ! She was really very 
 demure. 
 
 Did you go to Ascot ? ” he asked as they left the 
 drawing-room. 
 
 ^^Oh! I don’t care about races,” she replied 
 promptly. 
 
 Adair raised his eyebrows. No ? — But Ascot is 
 scarcely to be described as ‘races’ — I thought all 
 ladies went there.” 
 
 “ Oh, yes ! I do go — I have to go because the 
 others go — but I don’t like it,” she protested — “ in 
 fact I hate it.” 
 
 “ Eeally. Ah ! I’ve always found Ascot very 
 pleasant,” said he half sighing. 
 
 They reached the dining-room then and very 
 quickly found their places, which were about half- 
 way down the table. Adair had barely seated 
 himself when a gay voice at his left hand whispered 
 — “ Margaret’s not so bad after all. I’m so glad she 
 put us together.” 
 
 “ And so am I,” he answered, without an instant’s 
 hesitation. 
 
 And he really was glad. He saw as plainly as 
 could be that that the demure young lady who was 
 his lawful fate, had never been so starched and 
 demure in all her life as she was then. Now Adair 
 did not believe much in starch or in extreme 
 demureness, and the open gaiety, even if she did 
 giggle a little, of the hostess’s sister was infinitely 
 more dangerous to him in his forlorn and loveless 
 condition than all the primness and stiffness that 
 ever spelt propriety. 
 
 I did not say that Flossie Tempest, as everybody 
 called her, was Mrs. Ponsonby’s sister. Earlier in 
 the day Adair had spoken of her as ‘ old.’ But Mrs. 
 Ponsonby was not at the outside more than five and 
 forty, and as she was the eldest of a very large 
 family and Flossie the youngest, the difference in 
 
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? 
 
 51 
 
 their ages was something over twenty years. And 
 Flossie Tempest was blessed — or the reverse — with 
 a tongue, well, a tongue of really unusual and 
 remarkable power. She could talk — and did — on 
 any subject and under the most awkward and 
 distressing circumstances. Mrs. Ponsonby had done 
 quite wisely in not sending her down to dinner with 
 Adair but in placing her upon his other hand. Had 
 she been his lawful fate h6 might have found her 
 fluency a little trying after his months of seclusion ; 
 as it was he found the extreme propriety with which 
 his own lady had sought to charm him, aggrava- 
 tingly dull, while every time that he had a chance 
 he turned with relief to his other neighbour. Miss 
 Flossie. It was such a relief, too, to be talked to as 
 if he was quite an ordinary person with quite an 
 ordinary story, not to be talked good ’ at ! 
 
 On the whole his lawful fate was a stupid girl 
 and naturally rather dull, though upon occasion, as 
 he had more than a shrewd suspicion, she could be 
 gay enough. But she never saw how bored he was 
 by her liking for serious things, by her earnestness 
 and her very crude ideas and her profession of 
 valuing only the great problems of life, her open 
 contempt for all the little frivolities and gaieties 
 thereof. If she had only known of the inward sigh 
 with which each time after five minutes' chat with 
 her, he turned to Flossie with her upward looks, 
 her gay little brainless laugh, her ceaseless flow of 
 questions, questions which carried on a conversation 
 quite comfortably by themselves without any 
 particular necessity for answers to them ! However 
 Miss Ganthony-Dewkes, as I said just now, was not 
 blessed with a great amount of understanding, so 
 having begun with an idea that something very 
 grave and demure would be sure to attract a man of 
 Adair’s unfortunate experience, she kept resolutely on 
 that course of behaviour to the very end of the meal. 
 
 4 ^ 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UMIVERSITY OF 
 
CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 A FRESH START. 
 
 Adair went home after Mrs. Ponsonby’s little 
 dinner with his head on fire. He sat down in the 
 library and thought it all out — the overdone 
 primness of Miss Ganthony-Dewkes, and the gay 
 and careless good-fellowship of Flossie Tempest, 
 positively the only person whom he had met since 
 his troubles began who had not looked, in some 
 way or other, conscious of his circumstances. 
 
 I never thought I should sit down and think 
 about Flossie Tempest,” he said with a sort of grim 
 amusement to himself at last — but all the same 
 she was the only one to-night whose manner did 
 not hurt me more or less. Miss Dewkes’ propriety 
 made me ill, and Mary Maturin’s face cut me like 
 a knife. By Jove, she must have been fond of him 
 and — he of her. If I had kept quiet, I suppose 
 he would have married her safe enough. As it is 
 I wonder she came tb speak to me at all. I daresay 
 though she thinks it’s always best to find it out 
 before than afterwards. Well, Mrs. Ponsonby had 
 her own way and I went to her party — I suppose 
 I shall be going to parties now whether I care about 
 them or not.” 
 
 He had stoically gone back to his own house 
 again, and still more stoically was sleeping in the 
 same bedroom in which he had slept for five years. 
 Nobody but himself knew what an effort it was to 
 him, how every time he came in or went out, the 
 
A FKESH START. 
 
 53 
 
 same pang struck chill to his heart. Nobody knew 
 how the tones of the new butler's voice grated on 
 his ears, how the sight of his smooth decorous face 
 offended his eyes, or how often he was vexed or 
 pained by the new ways of the house. 
 
 But perhaps he was happier or I may more truth- 
 fully put it, he was less miserable that night than 
 he had been for nearly a year, and he went to bed 
 and slept without the long hours of wakefulness 
 which were his nightly portion now. But he did 
 not sleep well — he dreamt that he was making one 
 of an endless procession down a broad flight of 
 stairs, a procession of men and women in evening 
 dress and he was held fast by Miss Granthony- 
 Dewkes, whose fingers were fixed on his arm like a 
 vice, while her falsely prim voice kept saying — 
 
 I am very good — I don’t care about races.” 
 
 To have dreamt it once would have been nothing, 
 he would scarcely have remembered it. But the 
 procession seemed to be going on for ever, step by 
 step, downwards always downwards, and he was 
 always afraid of treading upon the trailing yellow 
 gown of the woman who was walking in front of 
 him, while in his ears rang unceasingly those un- 
 real words — I am very good — I don’t care about 
 races.” 
 
 It went on so long that at last he woke up shiver- 
 ing and shuddering and laughed outright as he 
 pictured himself going on for the rest of time with 
 Miss Granthony-Dewkes holding fast on to his arm. 
 
 ‘‘Are you awake, Hope ? ” he said aloud. “I’ve 
 had such an idiotic dream ” and then he remem- 
 
 bered that no Hope was there, that Hope would 
 never be there again for ever. 
 
 It was such moments as these that had broken 
 the man’s nerve and brought him mentally to the 
 very shadow of his old self; that night he awoke 
 with a start to a new sense of his utter desolation, 
 
64 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 and under the friendly shelter of the dark hours of 
 silence he cried like a woman or a child, only un- 
 like a child in great distress, no sleep came again 
 to his eyes and he got up in the morning haggard 
 and weary-looking, with a racking headache and a 
 heart as heavy as lead ! 
 
 Well, the busy days of the brilliant season 
 passed away and Adair quickly slipped back into the 
 old life, going from dinner to dance. and to one recep- 
 tion after another, meeting just the same people, 
 seeing just the same decorations, eating precisely 
 the same dinners and suppers, hearing quite the 
 same things — the young lady who recited semi- 
 humorous poems with a plaintive air, the young 
 gentleman with the lion-like voice, who delighted 
 society after the manner of George Giddens — aye, 
 and a good long way after him too — all the more 
 or less brilliant stars who sang and played on lute, 
 harp, sackbut, psaltery and dulcimer or their 
 equivalents of to-day, and I am bound to confess 
 that he equally hated and loathed the whole show. 
 
 And it is a show, the season in London. I love 
 my London, I revel in society, human beings 
 seldom bore me, even when they are full of sham, 
 humbug and pretentiousness — after all they are all 
 human, and a human being, a civilized human 
 being, is in the majority of cases a delightful study. 
 But it is hard to keep going in London, in the 
 world that is, when your heart is breaking. 
 
 And yet, sick and weary and lonely as he was, 
 Adair kept on simply because he was afraid of 
 finding himself once more alone and cast on the 
 resources of his own sad mind. He was so tired of 
 the phrases he heard each and every day. ‘‘ So 
 charmed to see you ” — and Maraschino, Chartreuse 
 or liqueur-brandy, Sir ? ” And most of all was he 
 weary of the ostentatious modesty and goodness of 
 the many damsels who thought it would be a good 
 
A FKESH START. 
 
 65 
 
 and profitable thing to be the second Mrs. Eichard 
 Adair. 
 
 It was astonishing to him how they all harped on 
 the same string — they all hated society — London 
 bored them all. None of them cared for dress or 
 fashion or any of the tenets in which they had been 
 assiduously, nay, I may even say religiously brought 
 up. They all liked a quiet simple life and the 
 dinner of herbs by choice, and Adair, who had 
 known his world fairly well and loved it, grew 
 positively to dread the very sight of a petticoat. 
 
 And almost every day he met St. John some- 
 where or other ; they belonged to the same clubs, 
 frequented the same places and sometimes met in 
 the same houses, though in the latter instance, 
 never at very close quarters. Once it happened 
 that he went into his club to spend a quiet hour in 
 the smoking-room. There was only one man there, 
 sitting with a newspaper in front of him and with 
 his back turned towards the door. Adair could only 
 see the back of his head from where he seated 
 himself. And so for five minutes or so they sat 
 without moving or even troubling to look at one 
 another. Then the other man stretched out his 
 hand and touched a little electric bell upon the 
 table and when a waiter came in answer to his 
 summons, he asked some questions and Adair 
 recognised the voice as St. John’s. 
 
 So they were quite alone together. St. John 
 was evidently unaware of Adair’s presence, and 
 Adair sat there for ten minutes nerving himself to 
 go across the room to ask his old friend boldly — 
 Tell me the truth — where is she ? Is she well ? 
 Is she with you ? Are you going to marry her or 
 not ? ” 
 
 But Adair’s nerve was not what it had been! 
 Put what control upon himself he would he could 
 not keep his lips from trembling or his limbs from 
 
56 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 shaking, his head reeled and swam, and a white 
 mist danced before his eyes — he could not get up 
 and do what his whole heart and soul were prompt- 
 ing him to do, to do at any cost. And while this 
 fierce struggle with his own weakness was going on, 
 St. John put down his paper, got up, crossed to the 
 table near the big bow window, picked up a paper 
 — Punchy apparently — and glanced at its contents, 
 then threw it back upon the table and went out of 
 the room without so much as turning his eyes in 
 the direction of the solitary figure by the fire- 
 place. 
 
 I think if the ice had been broken that day that 
 the current of several lives would have been entirely 
 changed, and it is more than probable that two 
 announcements which appeared six weeks later in 
 the society papers, would never have seen the 
 light. 
 
 They were not side by side, though it is true 
 that they were not very far apart — and they ran 
 thus : 
 
 Lord and Lady Cannock have returned to Town 
 from the Continent and will remain a few days in 
 Eaton Square on their way to Scotland ” ; and — A 
 marriage has been arranged and will shortly take 
 place between Mr. Eichard Adair, of Grosvenor 
 Street, and Miss Florence Tempest, youngest 
 daughter of the late Sir John Tempest, of Tempest 
 Holme, Devonshire.” 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ALL THE TO-MORROWS SHALL BE AS TO-DAY. 
 
 Five years had gone by — most people had long long 
 ago forgotten all about what in its time had been 
 called the Adair scandal, and the second Mrs. Adair 
 had been mistress of the house in Grrosvenor Street 
 the same length of time as the first one had so 
 reigned. 
 
 What is the story about Adair,” a man asked of 
 a friend one day in the Park, after having stood for 
 ten minutes talking to Mrs. Adair whose carriage 
 was drawn up by the rails. 
 
 The story — oh ! he divorced his first wife, that’s 
 all,” the other man answered. 
 
 ‘^Divorced his wife! Oh! he divorced her 
 then ? ” 
 
 Oh, yes ! that was so.” 
 
 “ Did you know her ? ” 
 
 Oh, yes ! I knew her well. She was a pretty 
 creature. Never could tell myself how he could 
 stand this one after the first.” 
 
 Well, poor devil, he doesn’t try to stand anything 
 — he seems to me to let things slide anyhow,” said 
 the seeker after knowledge carelessly. ‘‘ Who was 
 the other ? ” 
 
 ‘‘ A Miss Peering — parson’s daughter of course. 
 Odd thing,” said le Marchant in a musing tone, 
 ‘Hhat parsons’ daughters are very much like 
 parsons’ sons, always the wildest rockets out. Not 
 that Mrs. Adair was wild — not a bit of it ; on the 
 
58 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 contrary, she was one of the gentlest best-mannered 
 women I ever knew ; you might — as far as outside 
 appearances went — have staked your life on her 
 being all right, and yet — he had to divorce her.” 
 
 H’m — a pity. Was he fond of her ? ” 
 
 Oh ! awfully. It cut him up no end, no end. 
 And then he married this little woman, and I don’t 
 fancy he got much solid consolation or satisfaction 
 out of that.” 
 
 I should think not. Ton my word but she’s the 
 gayest little soul ever I knew in my life — ‘ How 
 d’you like my bonnet ? ’ she asked me just now — 
 ‘ Dick says it’s hideous and I’m a fright in it. Do 
 you think so ? No ! Ah ! neither do I. I tell 
 Dick he’s jaundiced, poor old dear.’ But Dick, poor 
 old dear, seems pretty usually to think Mrs. Dick’s 
 bonnet hideous or she a fright or something — any 
 way he’s never with her.” 
 
 “ Oh ! I don’t know — they get on all right. He 
 always shows when she’s got a dinner-party,” said le 
 Marchant — and for the rest I daresay he gives her 
 quite as much of his company as she cares about.” 
 
 They had not gone much further before they met 
 Adair coming slowly along by himself not seeing or 
 looking for anyone. He nodded to them but passed 
 on evidently without thinking for a moment ot 
 stopping — they were not his friends, but intimates 
 of his wife’s, which was quite another matter. 
 
 He walked slowly up the path, past the rows and 
 rows of chairs, a man so woefully changed from 
 what Adair had been in the old days before the 
 dark trouble had fallen upon him. Two ladies 
 stopped and spoke to him, just a word or two. 
 
 What a handsome man,” said one to the other 
 when they had parted. 
 
 “ Yes, that is Mr. Adair — poor fellow,” answered 
 the elder one. 
 
 Why poor ? ” 
 
ALL THE TO-MORROWS SHALL BE AS TO-DAY. 59 
 
 Oh ! you remember ‘ the Adair case ’ surely,” the 
 elder one exclaimed. 
 
 Ah, yes ! to be sure. But he married again.” 
 
 ‘^Yes and fairly soon, but he never got over it, 
 he was never the same afterwards. I never believed 
 a word against her, poor girl, but of course all the 
 men were down upon her like a load of bricks — 
 they always are.” 
 
 ‘^Yes, I believe you are right,” said the young 
 lady in a thoughtful tone. 
 
 About the men — oh ! my dear, the beautiful 
 virtue with which a man who is as black as night, 
 midnight, himself, will descant on the sanctity of 
 the marriage tie, really is very often astounding. 
 Ah, yes ! the men make the laws and the poor 
 women have to keep them and suffer by them.” 
 
 And Adair, keeping quietly on his way, met one 
 and another of his acquaintances and then suddenly 
 found himself face to face with St. John, who looked 
 at him with cold eyes that seemed to see nothing. 
 Even after five years the mere sight of St. John was 
 enough to set his heart beating hard, to blanch his 
 face to the lips and to send his mind back with all 
 the old agony to the tragedy with which his happy 
 days had ended. He wondered as he walked slowly 
 through the throng of gay folks that brilliant 
 summer day, where Hope was now, where could she 
 be ? Why, he did not even know if she was alive or 
 dead, whether she was or had been with St. John 
 or not ! And he — he had filled her place with a gay 
 little woman who had not heart enough ever to go 
 wrong — he could trust her, yes, as he would be able 
 to trust a stone. Well — he could not grumble — he 
 had not asked for bread, he had but offered a stone 
 himself and Flossie Tempest had duly paid him in 
 kind. 
 
 For he had been quite honest with her when he 
 had asked her to fill Hope’s place. He had pre- 
 
60 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 tended nothing, made believe nothing. After the 
 season came to an end he had gone to several 
 country houses, or rather he had gone to Homburg 
 first and thence to several English country houses. 
 At two out of the first three houses he went to, he 
 found Flossie Tempest, and as they got on ex- 
 cellently well together, they had been, naturally 
 enough, thrown a good deal in to one another’s 
 society, and the end of it was that he asked her to 
 marry him. 
 
 And I will be quite honest,” he said, with 
 pathetic wretchedness — “I have no love to offer 
 you — I gave Hope all my love, all, and I shall never 
 love anyone again as I loved her. But I am well- 
 off and I will give you your own way in everything, 
 and I am very lonely and miserable — What do you 
 say ? ” 
 
 And Flossie said yes. She pretended no love 
 on her side, she spoke gravely, even tenderly of 
 Hope ; she told him that for her part she had never 
 quite believed in what the world had said against 
 her, she expressed a doubt as to whether it would 
 be actually right to marry him — but she said, yes. 
 
 So they were married, and after a few weeks spent 
 happily enough in the Eiviera, they came back to 
 the house in Grrosvenor Street to begin life 
 together. 
 
 And alas, and alas for the mutability of human 
 hopes ! He found only too soon that he had bound 
 himself in adamantine chains for nothing ! As Mrs. 
 Adair, Flossie was not half as much his friend as 
 she had been as Flossie Tempest, who had com- 
 forted him by her very carelessness and uncon- 
 sciousness of manner ! The new life to him was a 
 series of shocks. 
 
 It cost him for many months a bitter pang to see 
 her in the dainty boudoir, which had been Hope’s 
 favourite sitting-room, until indeed she had gradu- 
 
ALL THE TO-MOEROWS SHALL BE AS TO-DAY. 61 
 
 ally altered the little room out of all likeness to its 
 former self. 
 
 Dick,” she said to him a few days after they 
 had returned to Grosvenor Street — “ I don’t want 
 to pain you, but I must ask you one question. 
 Would you like me to make the house look different 
 at all, or would you like me to leave all poor Hope’s 
 things just as they are?” 
 
 It is your house to do just as you like with,” 
 he answered, his face darkening. Whatever 
 was sacred about it has been violated for me, 
 until you sanctify it afresh. Make what altera- 
 tions you like — you need not consider the past 
 at all.” 
 
 Thanks, that was all I wanted to ask,” she said 
 quietly. 
 
 She felt instinctively that he would rather that 
 she did make such alterations as would remind him 
 less of Hope than the house would do if left 
 precisely as she had left it. 
 
 Poor Hope,” she said, how hard he is on her 
 yet — and how she must have suffered, for she was 
 fond of him. Oh, yes ! she was fond of him. Well — 
 I begin differently — I begin as I mean to go on. 
 Dick can never make me suffer in that way — 
 nothing would make me risk it.” 
 
 And as she had begun, so she had gone on. She 
 was perfectly friendly but she was quite indifferent 
 — she was always pleasant to him, but she was 
 thoroughly independent of him. She was altogether 
 different to what Hope had been — and Hope had 
 been for five years the impersonation of all feminine 
 charms and graces to him. 
 
 And Flossie was as she had always been, a flirt 
 of the very first water ! Flirt she could and did 
 with everyone, even with him until she grew tired 
 of trying to flirt with a being so unresponsive and 
 icy. And once when he remonstrated with her for 
 
62 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 flirting with other men, she turned upon him and 
 fairly scorched him with her scorn. 
 
 Flirt — I ? she cried. “ Why how long hasre 
 you known me, Dick ? Ten years ? And have I 
 not flirted all that time ? Have I ever been 
 injudicious, underhand, sneaky over my flirtations ? 
 No, a thousand times, no. You thought because I 
 married you that I was going to change my whole 
 nature and become a tame pussy cat. Then, my 
 dear, let me advise you to lose no time in getting 
 any such idea out of your mind, for a flirt I was 
 when you married me and a flirt I shall be to the 
 end of the chapter. You are jaundiced, Dick, my 
 friend, simply jaundiced.” 
 
 And Dick knew that it was true, and Flossie 
 went on her gay and careless way, making an 
 admirable mistress for the pretty house, an admir- 
 able hostess, a charming gay volatile figure-head for 
 his dinner-table. 
 
 But as a wife — well he might sigh and sigh for 
 the irrevocable past, for the tender grace of a day 
 that was dead, but that day was dead and all that 
 had filled his heart and life with tenderness and 
 love had slipped from his grasp, like a fragile goblet 
 of glass may fall from your hands to the floor and 
 be shattered in an instant into a thousand pieces, 
 never to be put together again for ever. 
 
 His mind went back over it all as he walked 
 through the Park, and when he reached that point 
 of the railings at which you may cross to the corner, 
 he suddenly became aware that his wife’s carriage 
 was drawn up beside the railings and that two 
 young men were standing there chatting to her. 
 They were very young and very familiar — they 
 leant their arms upon the side of the carriage with 
 all the assurance imaginable — Oh ! there’s Dick,” 
 be heard her say. 
 
 He felt that he was not wanted there, that }\e 
 
ALL THE TO-MOKROWS SHALL BE AS TO-DAY. 63 
 
 was only a wet blanket, a kill-joy ; yet he could not 
 pass his wife in public without stopping and saying 
 something or other to her, so he took off his hat to 
 her and saluted the two men, one of whom he knew 
 and one whom he had never seen before. 
 
 “Fancy your being in the Park, Dick,” Mrs. 
 Adair said with a laugh, and it was just the same 
 inconsequent foolish laugh that she had had as a 
 girl. “ You’d better get in and take a turn with 
 me — I shall be quite proud to be seen with you. 
 I believe heaps of people think you haven’t a wife 
 at all, or rather that I haven’t got a husband.” 
 
 “ Certainly, I am at your service,” said he readily ; 
 and so they remained talking together for a few 
 minutes. 
 
 Just as Adair was about to get into the carriage 
 however, a big bronzed soldierly-looking man came 
 sauntering along, looked at him carelessly, then 
 keenly, then stopped short — “ Why, Adair, old 
 fellow. I’m delighted to see you,” he burst out — “ I 
 haven’t seen you for seven years, old chap, seven 
 years have I been frizzling up in Alapore, not seeing 
 a white face except in the looking-glass once in 
 three months.” 
 
 “ Greoff ! ” cried Adair incredulously. 
 
 “ Yes,” returned the big man heartily. “ Greoff 
 Trevor — and it’s very evident to me, my friend, that 
 you’ve never given Greoff Trevor a thought since we 
 parted seven years ago. Well, well, I’ll forgive you. 
 And your wife, how is she ? Is she in the Park 
 to-day ? ” 
 
 “ My wife ? ” repeated Adair feeling himself going 
 deadly faint. “ Oh ! yes, to be sure — let me intro- 
 duce you,” with an uncertain gesture towards 
 Flossie — “ You’ve not met Mrs. Adair before.” 
 
 It was an intensely awkward moment for them 
 all — Major Trevor stared at Flossie, then perceived 
 Adair’s ghastly face and guessed that something 
 
64 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 serious had happened of which he was ignorant. 
 Flossie, however, came gallantly to the rescue — I 
 am the second Mrs. Adair,’’ she said in an under- 
 tone. “ You remember Hope, I see. I hope you 
 will come to see us — you will dine with us, of course, 
 one evening soon. You are quite wrong in think- 
 ing that Dick had forgotten you — he has spoken 
 of you very often to me.” 
 
 Adair breathed freely once more. He was as- 
 tonished at Flossie’s nerve and equally so at her 
 inventive qualities, for to the best of his remem- 
 brance he had never uttered Major Trevor’s name 
 to her in his life. However, she had successfully 
 bridged over an awkwardness and he was profoundly 
 thankful to her for it. 
 
 I should like to take a turn,” she went on — 
 “ open the door one of you please.” 
 
 In two minutes more she had stepped out of the 
 carriage and was gaily walking down towards Albert 
 Gate with Major Trevor beside her. And gaily she 
 talked on the light and trivial topics of the town 
 until she saw by glancing sideways that they had 
 gained a little on Adair and the two young men. 
 
 Major Trevor,” she said sharply then, don’t 
 look surprised or anything — but you mustn’t men- 
 tion Hope to my husband. He can’t bear it.” 
 
 I’d no idea that she was dead,” he said con- 
 tritely. 
 
 Mrs. Adair hesitated. Well, Major Trevor,” 
 she said at last — ‘‘ so far as I know Hope is not 
 dead ; but the marriage was dissolved and — and 
 Dick doesn’t like to hear her mentioned. You 
 understand.” 
 
 Perfectly — perfectly,” he replied ; yet, all the 
 same, he only understood that a divorce had taken 
 place, nothing more. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 A VOICE FKOM THE FAR-AWAY ! 
 
 The following evening Major Trevor dined at the 
 house of his old friend in Grosvenor Street ! Mrs. 
 Adair had gone to a good deal of trouble in order 
 to make as pleasant an evening as possible — she 
 had three of her own special boys — she called 
 all her men-friends her boys — there, whether for 
 Major Trevor’s edification or her own it would be 
 difficult to determine. And she had two of the 
 prettiest girls of her acquaintance which made up a 
 pleasant little party of eight. 
 
 Major Trevor, of course, took her in to dinner and 
 sat at her left hand and as the table was a round 
 one, the conversation was more general than is 
 usual even with parties of eight. 
 
 Adair, for once, was quite in good spirits and 
 every now and then chatted across the table to his 
 old friend as Flossie had not heard him talk for 
 years. 
 
 ‘‘By the bye I saw Chummy the other day,” 
 Major Trevor remarked, when the meal was about 
 mid-way over.” 
 
 “ Chummy,” echoed Adair — “ not Chummy Vin- 
 cent surely ? ” 
 
 “ That same and no other. He was doing a spell 
 of waiting in a restaurant in Melbourne.” 
 
 “Chummy Vincent — waiter in a restaurant,” 
 Adair cried aghast. “ Oh ! — you must have been 
 dreaming, old fellow.” 
 
 “Not a bit of it — He waited on me and I chaffed 
 
 5 
 
G6 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 him fearfully, poor old chap ; and he made an un- 
 commonly good waiter too.” 
 
 Ton my soul,” Adair burst out — I never was 
 so surprised in my life. Why Chummy was the 
 biggest swell we knew ten years ago — ^poor old 
 chap, what rough luck to have got down to that. 
 But, Trevor, what were you doing in Melbourne ? ” 
 Well I came home from India that way. You 
 see I hadn’t seen Alaric for over eight years so I 
 went that way and stayed a few weeks with him at 
 his place about fifty miles from Melbourne.” 
 
 “ And is he doing well ? ” 
 
 Oh ! wonderfully well — farming, you know. 
 Well, I — I couldn’t describe it, it isn’t like farming 
 as we understand it. And by the bye, I’ve brought 
 you a mysterious letter from there.” 
 
 A letter — for me ? ” 
 
 ‘‘ Yes — a few days before I got there one of his 
 hands died, got hurt or something. He asked to see a 
 magistrate when he was dying and they fetched one 
 from the next place, who heard him make some 
 statement or other, and then he gave it to Alaric 
 asking him to get it conveyed to you with as little 
 delay as possible. Alaric told him that I was then 
 on my way there and would be going home after 
 a few weeks, and asked him if he would like me to 
 take it or would he have it sent by post. He said 
 that he’d rather 1 brought it and I did so. I’ve got 
 it in my pocket now.” 
 
 ‘‘ H’m — very mysterious,” said Adair with a 
 laugh. 
 
 Perhaps someone has left you some money, 
 Dick,” his wife suggested. 
 
 More likely wants me to pay some debt of 
 honour for him,” answered Adair — I’ll open it by 
 and by, and then you will know all about it.” 
 
 But he did not open the packet as soon as he 
 had intended. The conversation turned on the 
 
A VOICE FEOM THE FAR-AWAY! 
 
 67 
 
 evening’s amusement, and Mrs. Adair told him 
 that she was due at three dances, and also that she 
 had to take the young ladies to one to meet their 
 mother. 
 
 Then — ” said Adair — *^you won’t want me, will 
 you ? If you all go off to your dances, Trevor and 
 I will stop and have a quiet yarn together — eh, 
 Trevor ? ” 
 
 My dear chap, I shall be enchanted,” Trevor 
 replied. 
 
 “ But Major Trevor would like to come with us, 
 perhaps,” Mrs. Adair suggested — for she loved to be 
 seen with a new boy ” in attendance upon her, and 
 Major Trevor was so big and brown, so distin- 
 guished-looking and was so charming besides, that 
 it would have been a real treat for her to have 
 marched him into the world’s fair by her side, to 
 make all her other boys ” jealous and all the 
 women full of envy. 
 
 But Major Trevor was not to be drawn out so 
 easily — ‘^Not to-night, thanks a thousand times, 
 Mrs. Adair,” he said. I gave up dancing years 
 ago and I feel rather strange and out of it as yet — 
 don’t know the latest jargon, or the newest stars or 
 anything. So if you really don’t mind, I will stay 
 and have a yarn with Dick and then go home 
 quietly to bed.” 
 
 Of course as you like,” she said — ^Hhough I 
 know Lady Ventura would be enchanted to see you 
 — she is always so glad of a few extra men. Then 
 Dick will you really come to me ? I shall go on to 
 Mrs. Charles Waters’ at half-past twelve.” 
 
 ‘‘ I’ll see — anyway I will be there by one o’clock 
 if I feel inclined to come. If I don’t, you’ll be all 
 right, won’t you ? ” 
 
 Oh, yes — don’t come on my account,” she an- 
 swered gaily. 
 
 In about half-an-hour’s time they all went oflf to 
 
 6 * 
 
68 
 
 GOOD-BrE. 
 
 their ball, the three ladies and the three young men, 
 with a great deal of laughter and merriment, Adair 
 and Major Trevor seeing them off at the door. 
 
 “ She’s a gay little soul,” said Adair, as they went 
 back to- the dining-room again — ”but straight as a 
 die, straight as a die, and that’s the great thing, 
 after all.” 
 
 Now Major Trevor had during the day taken care 
 to gather some information of the circumstances 
 under which Adair’s first marriage had been set 
 aside. He had known Hope Adair quite intimately 
 and could as yet scarcely believe that she could 
 have altered so utterly as to merit such a condem- 
 nation ; yet several men to whom he had spoken of 
 her were all agreed that her guilt was without 
 doubt, her downfall deserved. No, they all admitted 
 that they had never seen anything wrong in her 
 conduct, but the case had been clearly proved, and of 
 course, they said, the deep quiet ones who play a 
 careful game are seldom found out, except through 
 treachery. 
 
 He scarcely knew what to say when Adair 
 thus unmistakably led up to the subject — it was a 
 most awkward situation for him. And yet he 
 felt that he must speak, he must say something 
 about her. 
 
 Old chap — ” he said rather hesitatingly — I’m 
 afraid I made things very awkward for you in the 
 Park yesterday — but — but you see I didn’t know, I 
 hadn’t heard a word and — and I was so astonished 
 I couldn’t help showing it.” 
 
 Oh ! I understood — I understood — I’m used to 
 that sort of thing,” Adair answered — don’t think 
 of it again. Yes — the old state of things came to 
 an end — all in a moment, like a house of cards 
 tumbling about my ears. And I couldn’t stand 
 living by myself, so I married again — But you’ve 
 heard all about it, of course,” 
 
A VOICE FKOM THE FAR-AWAY! 
 
 69 
 
 Yes, I’ve heard a little to-day,” Major Trevor 
 admitted. 
 
 ‘‘ Well, it’s no use talking about it now — it’s all 
 over and done with. I married Miss Tempest, and 
 although we never pretended to be over head and 
 ears in love with each other, she’s made me a good 
 wife, a very good wife indeed. I doubt if I’ve been 
 much of a husband to her — you see I was 
 embittered and soured by my first experience.” 
 
 “ Oh ! Mrs. Adair seems very happy anyway,” 
 Major Trevor remarked — “ I wouldn’t worry myself 
 on that score if I were you.” 
 
 They sat for an hour or so talking over old times, 
 over the old times of their boyhood before either of 
 them had ever heard of Hope Deering. Then Trevor 
 got up and said that he must be going — and by 
 the bye,” he exclaimed, “ I haven’t given you that 
 packet yet — here it is.” 
 
 Oh ! thanks — I didn’t give it another thought.” 
 
 Adair set it upright on the chimney-shelf against 
 the clock, and when he had seen his old friend out 
 of the house, he came back and opened it. “ I 
 wonder what the precious thing is,” he said to 
 himself as he broke two of the four big red seals, 
 each bearing the monogram of the magistrate who 
 had witnessed the declaration and sealed it from 
 prying eyes. He glanced at the signature first — 
 Henry Firth,” he read, Henry Firth — why — why 
 that was the name of the cabman who gave evidence 
 against Hope — Good Heavens, what does this 
 mean ? ” 
 
 He turned the paper over with trembling hands 
 and began at the beginning of the declaration. 
 
 “ I, Henry Firth — ” it began — late a cabman in 
 the City of London, England, No. 0101001, and 
 now in the service of Mr. Alaric Trevor of Trevor 
 Gap, Victoria — knowing myself to be dying, wish 
 
70 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 to make what restitution lies in my power for a 
 great wrong which I did to Mr. Kichard Adair and 
 his wife between six and seven years ago. 
 
 I was an important witness in a divorce suit 
 which he brought against his wife, and I gave 
 evidence that I had driven the lady many times to 
 the rooms of Captain St. John in St. James’s Street. 
 All this was absolutely false. To my knowledge I 
 never drove the lady in my life nor did I ever see 
 her until within a week of the case, when she was 
 pointed out to me by her late maid, Kosalie Vallin. 
 This I swear on my dying oath. At that time I 
 was keeping company with Kosalie Vallin, who was 
 paid handsomely for giving her evidence against 
 her mistress. I had fifty pounds as my share of 
 the booty. I don’t know who paid Kosalie Vallin 
 nor where she is'now. She lived with me for a few 
 weeks, but her temper was such that I could not 
 stand her any longer. I have committed many sins 
 but this business has weighed more heavily on me 
 than all the rest. I feel I cannot go to meet my 
 God, whom I have defied and outraged, without 
 being clear of this secret at least. If those I 
 wronged can find it in their hearts to forgive me, I 
 believe my time to come will not be so bad. I am 
 truly penitent and I am dying fast. 
 
 Henry Firth. 
 
 Taken down verbatim and witnessed by 
 ‘‘William McEwen, 
 
 “ Magistrate — 
 
 “ Trevor Gap, March 19th, 188 .” 
 
 Adair turned back and read the letter again — “ I 
 never drove the lady in my life, nor did I ever see 
 her until within a week of the case, when she was 
 pointed out to me by her late maid, Kosalie Vallin.” 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 hush! 
 
 I NEED hardly say that Adair never gave a thought 
 to his half-promise to meet his wife at Mrs. Charles 
 Waters’ ball. Indeed he never moved from the 
 spot where he had been standing when this new 
 and awful blow had fallen upon him. When he 
 fully realised the meaning of Firth’s declaration, he 
 dropped into the chair immediately in front of the 
 fire, the chair in which Trevor had sat chatting on 
 all manner of unimportant topics, while all the time 
 he was carrying, though unconsciously, a bomb-shell 
 in his breast, a bomb-shell which had burst at Adair’s 
 very feet. And there he sat stunned and cold, 
 incapable of thinking out the situation, dizzy and 
 sick and ill, with one terrible feeling tearing at 
 his heart, that he had wronged Hope all along, and 
 that he had driven her out of house and home 
 without mercy and without a hearing. 
 
 He was sitting there still when Flossie came 
 home from her dances. She came in to the dining- 
 room seeing the light, with a rush and a laugh. 
 ‘‘Why, Dick, are you up still, and alone? Well, 
 you’re a nice person to promise so faithfully to come 
 to me. I told everybody that you were coming, 
 and they all jeered at me — jeered at me — said that 
 they would believe it when they saw you — Why, 
 Dick, is anything the matter ? Aren’t you well, 
 Dick?” 
 
 He turned his ghastly face towards her and the 
 
72 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 gay little woman shuddered at what she saw written 
 there. A terrible sense of coming ill crept over her 
 and her quick mind coupled, in an instant, the open 
 paper in his hand with the mysterious packet of 
 which Major Trevor had spoken at dinner and over 
 which they had been so careless and so merry. 
 
 She drew the paper from his unresisting fingers, 
 and stood there to read it in her glittering ball- 
 gown, which somebody had within the hour described 
 as a summer sunrise, with its clouds of delicate rose- 
 tinted draperies, its trimmings of glittering crystal, 
 and the great bunch of fading blush roses upon her 
 breast. 
 
 She did not need to read it twice, the wretched 
 story it told was graven on her mind at once, she 
 was cold, stiff, frozen, and through her brain there 
 rang one awful question, above all other thoughts — 
 ‘‘ What is to become of me ? ” 
 
 She looked at Adair at last. Dick,” she said, 
 ‘‘ it’s no use sitting there like that — there’s a great 
 deal to be done.” 
 
 He looked up in a blind sort of way. There is 
 nothing to be done,” he said in a thick voice. 
 
 But she caught him by the shoulder and shook 
 him. Dick, you are ill — you don’t understand 
 this,” holding up the paper. 
 
 I understand it perfectly,” he said, and his 
 frozen lips uttered the words in a voice quite unlike 
 his own. She was innocent all the time, all the 
 
 time, and I have driven her to God knows 
 
 what.” 
 
 She looked at him anxiously. And what will 
 become of me, Dick ? ” 
 
 Of you ? I don’t understand you.” 
 
 It is easy enough,” she answered half im- 
 patiently — ‘‘ all this fresh evidence will, of course, 
 annul the decree which set aside your first marriage 
 — that will be made legal again.' Hope will come 
 
HUSH ! 
 
 73 
 
 back here, of course, for you will be able to find her 
 if she is alive. It will be all right for her, she is 
 not the kind of woman to have done anything to 
 be ashamed of, no matter what hard times she may 
 have had to go through. I never believed her 
 guilty, as you know. It will be all right for her, 
 but what, what shall / do ? ” 
 
 Adair’s ghastly face grew paler as he heard her. 
 
 You don’t know what you are talking about, 
 Flossie,” he said very gently. ‘‘ I may be able to 
 set Hope right in the eyes of the world, and perhaps 
 if she is very forgiving, she may consent to use her 
 settlements, which she has never touched all these 
 years. But that is all the reparation I can make 
 her. You are my wife — nothing — nothing can 
 alter your position. Hope is nothing to me, can 
 be* nothing to me but a bitter regret, a shame, 
 yes, a shame when I think of the part I have 
 played.” 
 
 Flossie was silent for a minute or two, standing 
 still by the chimney-shelf, with the lamp-light 
 shining on her brave array, so out of keeping with 
 her scared face. 
 
 “ It was all my fault,” she burst out at last — all 
 my fault. I had no right to marry you, for I didn’t 
 believe it of Hope, you know I didn’t. I didn’t 
 want to marry you, but Margaret never let me rest, 
 and she said I was an idiot to have any scruples, 
 and — and — I was so miserable at tha t time. You 
 don’t know the temptation it was to me to marrj- 
 any one who was young and rich and — and all that 
 you were.” 
 
 But you did not love me ? ” he 3aid, a spasm 
 passing over his face. 
 
 No more than you loved me,” she answered 
 quickly. ‘‘ I liked you well enough always — oh, 
 more than well enough, I liked you very much. 
 If only I had said no, instead of yes ! Then you 
 
74 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 would have been free and you could have brought 
 her back at once.” 
 
 Not at all,” he said. I should probably have 
 married somebody else — I should surely have done so. 
 Don’t distress yourself on that score, Flossie, I beg.” 
 
 “ But what are you going to do ? ” she asked. 
 
 He spread his hands out with a helpless gesture. 
 
 What can I do ? As I said I must try to set her 
 right before the world, and make provision for her 
 ' — there is nothing more to be done — nothing — 
 nothing.” 
 
 She moved from the hearth and paced restlessly 
 to and fro about the large and handsome room ; at 
 last however, she stopped beside him. 
 
 ^^Dick,” she said. ^^Will you answer me a 
 question as plainly as I ask it ? ” 
 
 Of course I will.” 
 
 Putting me out of the question, you love Hope 
 still?” 
 
 He half hesitated but only for a moment — With 
 all my heart and soul,” he answered. 
 
 ‘‘And if you were free you would marry Hope 
 again ? ” 
 
 “ At once,” he replied. 
 
 “ Couldn’t you get our marriage set aside ? ” 
 
 “ No — not without an Act of Parliament, perhaps 
 not then,” he answered. 
 
 “ Cannot you get an Act of Parliament — you are 
 rich and money can do much in most things.” 
 
 “ I don’t know — I shall not try,” he said decidedly. 
 “ I’ve been a brute I know, a misguided mistaken 
 brute, but I’ve never done a deliberate, cold-blooded 
 wrong to a woman in my life and I am not going to 
 begin with you. I would pay neither you nor my 
 poor girl such a bad compliment.” 
 
 She walked away again, went to the window and 
 pulled the heavy velvet curtain aside. The dawn 
 was just beginning to break — the dawn of the day 
 
HUSH! 
 
 75 
 
 which would make such a great difference in several 
 lives. 
 
 ‘‘ Look here, Dick,” she said after a few minutes — 
 
 I’m not a sentimental woman, as you know. And 
 I meant it seriously when I suggested that you 
 should take steps to bring Hope back again. 
 Perhaps you are right, but — but one thing is certain 
 I neither can nor will go on living with you, know- 
 ing that your heart is entirely given to a perfectly 
 innocent woman whose place I have usurped. I 
 shall go to Margaret as soon as it is broad day — and 
 she must put up with me until I can get a place of 
 my own.” 
 
 But Flossie ” he cried. 
 
 Oh ! I am not going to be foolish or squeamish,” 
 she said holding her head very high — “ I shall 
 willingly take what provision you think I ought to 
 have. I’ve no money of my own and, of course, I 
 can’t live on nothing ; anH I feel in a certain sense 
 that I have a right to it. But I will not stop here, 
 that is beyond me. While I believed that there 
 might be a doubt about Hope — and you never 
 expressed any doubt as to the justice of the decree 
 — it was different.” 
 
 ‘‘You shall do exactly as you like,” he said 
 humbly, and poor fellow he did feel humble, for to 
 himself he seemed to bring only a curse on the 
 women who had trusted him. 
 
 “ Margaret won’t like it, I daresay,” Flossie said, 
 wdth grim amusement — “but Margaret will have to 
 put up with it. It was she who b^adgered me into 
 this position and there is no choice for her now but 
 to see me out of it.” 
 
 Adair winced — “ I’m afraid that ” 
 
 “ Nothing will get me out of it,” she said quickly. 
 “No, perhaps not. Well, Dick, I am going to 
 lie down for an hour or two. I’m worn-out — simply 
 worn-out.” 
 
76 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 She went away with a careless wave of her hand 
 and toiled wearily up to her own bedroom. The 
 grey dawn was stealing in at the sides of the 
 window-blinds and her maid was sitting in a chair 
 fast asleep. Mrs. Adair touched her on the 
 shoulder. 
 
 ‘‘Louise — Louise — wake up,” she said — “I am 
 very late, much later than usual. Unlace my dress 
 and go to bed at once. I will do my own hair.” 
 
 “ Ma’am,” cried Louise starting up. 
 
 “ Yes, I know it is frightfully late,” Mrs. Adair 
 went on — “ I wish I had remembered you when I 
 came in two hours ago. But I didn’t — Louise, I’m 
 in trouble and I want to be alone. Undo me quickly 
 and go to bed.” 
 
 “ Cannot I help you in any way, ma’am ? ” Louise 
 asked. She was exceedingly fond of her mistress 
 and half asleep as she was, her tone was sympathetic 
 and kind. 
 
 “ To-morrow, Louise, perhaps — not to-night,” Mrs. 
 Adair answered. “There — now go — Good-night. 
 I’m sorry to have been so late.” 
 
 She had been struggling with her tears all the 
 time, and when Louise closed the door behind her, 
 she fairly broke down and sobbed bitterly — partly 
 for herself, partly for him and a great deal for that 
 other blameless one who had stood out in the dark- 
 ness and the cold all these weary years. 
 
 She was still sobbing when Adair knocked gently 
 at the door. By a mighty effort she controlled 
 herself and crossed the room to open it. 
 
 “ May I come in for a minute ? ” he asked. 
 
 “ Oh ! yes.” 
 
 “ You’ve been crying,” he said, looking searchingly 
 at her. 
 
 She smiled, a wan little smile as faint as the first 
 hues of morning outside. “ Well, it’s not the sort 
 of thing to make one feel gay.” 
 
HOPE, THE STRANGER. 
 
 77 
 
 “ Flossie — need you go away to-morrow ? he 
 asked. 
 
 I think so. It will have to be done and I shall 
 feel it less the quicker it is done.” 
 
 And you will feel it ? ” 
 
 Yes, Dick, I shall feel it,” she said frankly. 
 
 ‘‘ But — but I shall see you sometimes — we shall 
 part good friends ? ” he said. 
 
 The best of friends always I hope, Dick,” she 
 answered holding out her hand to him. 
 
 And I have not made you unhappy ? ” he asked. 
 
 ‘‘ Unhappy, no — I’ve had a royal time — but — but 
 when I think of Hope, alone — Oh ! Dick,” half- 
 sobbing. 
 
 ‘‘Don’t — don’t — don’t!” 'he cried in a voice of 
 agony, and then he bent his head and kissed her 
 little cold hands half-a-dozen times, and the next 
 moment the door had closed behind him and she 
 was alone. 
 
 CHAPTEK XII. 
 
 HOPE, THE STRANGER. 
 
 I AM bound to say that the second Mrs. Adair bore 
 herself very well indeed under terribly trying cir- 
 cumstances. After Adair had left her room in the 
 early grey of the morning, she had given way to 
 another fit of weeping, more violent and less re- 
 strained than the first one had been and when it 
 was over, she had thrown herself on her bed dressed 
 as she was in a loose cashmere gown and had drawn 
 the silk eider quilt over her. And then naturally 
 enough, she had gone to sleep, as a tired child 
 might have done, and she was still sleeping soundly 
 when Louise came in with her cup of tea at nine 
 o’clock. 
 
 Like the good servant she was, she made no sign 
 of noticing that anything unusual had occurred — • 
 
78 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 and certainly it was unusual, very unusual for Mrs. 
 Adair to sleep outside her bed and for Mr. Adair to 
 pass the night in the dining-room ; in fact, it had 
 never happened before. 
 
 Shall I bring your breakfast upstairs this morn- 
 ing, Ma’am ? ” she asked. 
 
 No. I’ll get up presently and go down,” Mrs. 
 Adair answered. Louise — ^your master and I are 
 in great trouble and I am going to Mrs. Ponsonby’s 
 to-day until we see how it will be with us.” 
 
 I am very sorry, Ma’am,” Louise said, con- 
 cluding in her ovn mind that the trouble her 
 mistress had spoken of the previous night or 
 rather in the early morning had been money, not a 
 quarrel. Am I to go with you, Ma’am ? ” 
 
 Of course — I shall go immediately after break- 
 fast — you can come on with my things during the 
 afternoon.” 
 
 And what things. Ma’am ? ” 
 
 ‘^Everything,” answered Mrs. Adair — “that is, 
 all the clothes I am wearing and so on — my 
 dressing-bag I will take with me and my jewelry. 
 And now I will get up.” 
 
 As the clock struck ten she entered the dining- 
 room. Adair, having received a message to say that 
 she was going to join him at the meal, was waiting 
 for her, and showed the signs of the storm which 
 had broken upon them far more plainly than she 
 did. The servants who were all agog with the 
 knowledge that something terrible had happened 
 were completely baffled and could not make head or 
 tail of the situation. “ ’Tisn’t quarrelling ” — re- 
 marked the butler when he made his appearance 
 down-stairs — “ they’re as friendly as I ever see 
 them. The mistress looks no great things, and the 
 master looks awful. It must be money.” 
 
 And presently Mrs. Adair drove away in her 
 pretty victoria, wearing one of her smartest summer 
 
HOPE, THE STRANGER, 
 
 79 
 
 gowns and a little French bonnet at the back of her 
 head, looking altogether what the women love to 
 call chic.” At her feet were her smart dressing- 
 bag with her initials in gold upon it, and the square 
 leather-covered case in which she kept her jewelry. 
 Adair saw her into the carriage and carefully tucked 
 the smart white linen cover with its blue embroidered 
 corners and large monogram over her. 
 
 You will let me hear whatever happens,” she 
 said. 
 
 Yes — I will bring you any news I have,” he 
 replied. 
 
 ‘^Yes, that will be best. Grood-bye, Dick,” 
 she said, then Adair stepped back and they had 
 parted. 
 
 There were tears in the eyes of both and it was 
 such a brilliant smiling morn, such a terrible 
 contrast to those two sad and troubled hearts. 
 
 Well, Adair only went indoors to get his hat and 
 then he called a hansom and set off on a long and 
 heart-breaking quest. First to Mr. FroggarGs 
 office — but alas, Mr. Froggart had gone down to 
 the country to attend the funeral and read the will 
 of an important and recently-departed client. He 
 might look in about five o’clock to attend to any 
 important business, but his people were not very 
 sure even on that point. Then Adair went off in a 
 fume to Scotland Yard to see if the police could help 
 him in tracing Hope. 
 
 The officials whom he saw there were strictly 
 professional but not very sympathetic, for what was 
 a new experience to Adair was a very ordinary 
 matter to them. By this time it was two o’clock 
 and, more from a desire to put on the time than 
 because he really wished for lunch, Adair went into 
 his club. 
 
 The first person on whom his eyes fell was 
 Captain St. John, who was standing in the hall 
 
80 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 talking to two men. Adair did not hesitate for an 
 instant. He strode straight up to him. 
 
 St. John,” he said, his voice trembling and his 
 face ghastly, I absolutely and unreservedly 
 apologise to you for everything that is past. Can 
 you bring yourself to shake hands with me ? ” 
 
 For a moment the other was too completely 
 astounded to speak. But he was a brave and 
 generous man and he knew Adair of old well enough 
 to be sure that he must have some good reason for 
 this sudden change of demeanour. And he was 
 touched by the ghastly pallor of his old friend’s face 
 and by the sense of the weight of sorrow which 
 could have brought a spirit which he knew to be 
 naturally as proud as Lucifer, to humble itself thus. 
 His hesitation only lasted for a moment — the next 
 he had taken the trembling outstretched hand in 
 his own. 
 
 Of course I will, old fellow,” he said kindly — 
 What has happened ? ” 
 
 The other two men who had been standing there, 
 filing themselves in the way of what must be a 
 confidential conversation, were quietly edging 
 away ; but Adair stopped them imperatively. 
 
 “Don’t go,” he said — “you may as well hear 
 what St. John here is waiting to know — It cannot 
 be known by too many people. I have found out that 
 I was wrong, that it was all a mistake, that my wife 
 — Hope — was innocent all the time, while I — I — 
 have done the most hideous and cruel wrong that 
 ever man repented or woman suffered for.” 
 
 Adair ! ” St John cried. 
 
 “ Look at this,” Adair went on, taking Firth’s 
 confession out of his pocket-book — “ Who can have 
 done it ? What could have been the motive ? 
 What did they gain by it ? ” 
 
 The three men eagerly read over the paper — St. 
 John put out his hand again — “ Old fellow,” he said 
 
HOPE, THE STRANGER. 
 
 81 
 
 in a shaking voice — God knows I pity you with 
 all my heart,” and the others murmured their 
 sympathy and wrung his hand as men do when they 
 are deeply moved. 
 
 And your — your second wife ? ” St. John asked. 
 
 She has gone already — gone to her sister’s. 
 She has behaved nobly about it — not a word of re- 
 proach except to herself, for she never believed that 
 Hope was guilty and she says she oughtn’t to have 
 married me. Her first thought was that Hope 
 would be restored — but my poor girl can never be 
 restored, only in part. And that’s what I want of 
 you, St. John — Tell me where she is — I must go 
 and see her.” 
 
 ‘^But I can’t — I don’t know where she is,” St. 
 John replied. 
 
 ‘‘ You don’t — know — whe^re Hope is,” Adair re- 
 peated incredulously. 
 
 ‘‘I have not the smallest idea — I haven’t seen 
 her or had even a word from her since I saw her in 
 Court. I have not the very smallest idea.” 
 
 My God ! ” muttered Adair, under his breath. 
 
 His disappointment was so great that he turned 
 away to the window the better to hide it. St. John 
 touched' him on the shoulder. Old fellow,” he 
 said — I fancy I can give you a clue. I believe 
 Sir John Wigram knows. He does if anyone does — 
 go to him. Tell him all about it. Depend upon it 
 he will be able to help you.” 
 
 I will go at once — Thanks a thousand times. 
 Good-bye — I’m very very grateful. When shall I 
 see you ? Will you come to-morrow at breakfast- 
 time and we can talk it all over ? ” 
 
 Yes — I will,” St. John replied. 
 
 Adair was gone like a flash of lightning leaving 
 the three men staring blankly at one another. 
 
 Never heard such a story in my life,” said one. 
 
 Poor devil,” added the other. 
 
 6 
 
82 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 Yes — poor devil — and poor little wife,” said St. 
 John softly. 
 
 “ Which ?” asked one of the men. 
 
 ^^Both,” answered St. John promptly — don’t 
 know which to pity the most.” 
 
 No — it’s rough on them both. But Flossie 
 Tempest isn’t the woman to take things much to 
 heart. And she has had an uncommon good time 
 all along and will be well provided for and nobpdy 
 will blame her. Oh ! no — it’s the other one that’s 
 to be pitied in my opinion. Well, I must be off — 
 I was due at Lady Bertie’s half-an-hour ago.” 
 
 And I’m late too — I’ll be going — Ta-ta,” and 
 away they both went to revel in retailing the very 
 latest and most relishing bit of news in their most 
 favourite haunts. 
 
 Adair, meantime, was in a cab tearing away to 
 Sir John Wigram’s chambers — and by great good 
 luck he found him within. 
 
 Say Mr. Adair — stay I’ll give you a card,” he 
 said — then scribbled under his name most impor- 
 tant ” and strongly underlined the words — then 
 waited impatiently to be shown into the great 
 counsel’s presence. 
 
 He was not kept waiting long before he was 
 taken to a room on the other side of the landing, 
 the room in which Sir John Wigram was sitting. 
 
 I am not sure if you will remember my name,” 
 Adair began ; he was singularly embarrassed by the 
 cold eyes of the great lawyer. 
 
 “ Oh ! yes — I remember you perfectly,” he said 
 promptly. “ May I ask what it is you require of me ? ” 
 
 Perhaps you also remember the details of the 
 case ” 
 
 l"es — yes — perfectly,” Sir John put in. 
 
 “ Well Sir John — ” with a long breath — I 
 received this, brought by hand from Australia, late 
 last night, after midnight in fact — It will explain.” 
 
HOPE, THE STKANGER^ 
 
 83 
 
 Sir John took the paper with an indifferent, 
 almost an impatient air, read a few words, then 
 pulled himself up and knitted his brows, assuming 
 an attitude of strict attention. 
 
 Well ? ” said Adair, finding that he did not 
 speak. 
 
 ‘^Well — ” Sir John replied — What do you 
 propose to do ? ” 
 
 “To find Eosalie Vallin — to seek out my wife — ” 
 how familiarly he slipped into the old way of speak- 
 ing of her who was no longer anything to him. 
 
 “ You forget — ” Sir John interrupted — “ that she 
 is not your wife and that another lady is. Well — 
 you — you propose ” 
 
 “ To make what poor reparation lies in my power. 
 It’s not much, I know — it’s nothing to what I would 
 do if I were only free,” Adair cried humbly. 
 
 “Ah! I daresay not,” said Sir John drily. “For 
 my part I don’t think you can in any way make up 
 for the past, not in any way. She may, if she is 
 very forgiving, consent to use her settlements — but 
 I don’t think she will even do that.” 
 
 “ You know where she is — you speak intimately 
 of her,” Adair exclaimed. “ Will you give me her 
 address that I may go and tell her what I have 
 heard ? ” 
 
 “ I don’t feel sure that I am justified in doing 
 so,” Sir John said cautiously. 
 
 “ But she is not married ?” the other cried. 
 
 “ No — she is not married,” speaking very slowly 
 — “ although if I had had my way, she would have 
 married again almost as soon as you did — It is best 
 for me to tell you so frankly. Look here, young 
 sir,” he went od, not heeding Adair’s exclamation 
 of surprise — “you had the sweetest, best woman in 
 all the world for your wife and you shook her off as 
 if she’d been the worst woman in the world instead 
 of a very angel of goodness. From your looks I 
 
 6 * 
 
84 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 should think you did not find much satisfaction in 
 your new relations — No,” as Adair fairly groaned — ■ 
 
 I thought as much. Well, others have seen the 
 value of the jewel which you threw away — I was 
 one of them. I have asked her to marry me over 
 and over again.” 
 
 ‘‘ And she would not.” 
 
 She would not. But my friend she is always, 
 and as her friend I do not know whether I ought to 
 tell you all you ask or not.” 
 
 But Adair pleaded so hard, so humbly for the 
 chance of seeing her that at last Sir John gave way 
 and told him something of her life during the five 
 years that had gone by since they had parted. 
 Hope had settled herself under her first and second 
 names in a certain suburb and had made a living 
 for herself by keeping a school for little boys, a sort 
 of kindergarten. She had done fairly well at it, 
 that is she was able to keep a little home for her- 
 self, and of late she had also made a little money by 
 literature. 
 
 And her address is ? ” Adair asked eagerly. 
 
 ‘^Her address is 21, Lime Tree Eoad, Putney,” 
 the other replied. 
 
 So within the hour Adair found himself standing 
 at the door of 21, Lime Tree Eoad, waiting for his 
 knock to be answered. A neat little maid wearing 
 a smart muslin apron and French cap, opened it 
 and replied that Mrs. Mervyn was at home, would 
 he walk in ? What name should she say ? 
 
 Say a gentleman on business,” said Adair, who 
 was afraid to send in his name lest she should refuse 
 to see him. 
 
 The little maid disappeared and Adair stood 
 waiting in that tiny room, his heart beating hard, 
 his breath coming quick and fast, his eyes already 
 clouded and misty, waiting until Hope, the 
 stranger, should come to him. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 AGAIN — AGAIN. 
 
 In reality Adair waited but three or four minutes 
 in the little room with its deep wicker chairs and 
 modest decorations, but they seemed to him like 
 hours — years — so long was Hope in coming. 
 
 But at last he heard the handle of the door turn 
 and then the door was pushed gently open — ‘‘No 
 dear, go back — 111 come presently — stop with 
 Virtue.” 
 
 It was Hope’s voice — she was coming ! Adair’s 
 eyes turned towards the door in blind agony but he 
 could see nothing. And then she came in, all un- 
 suspecting but that it was a stranger, some one 
 come about putting a little boy to school with her 
 — “ Dick — Dick — ” she cried — “ is it you ? Oh ! my 
 God ! ” 
 
 The mist cleared away from his eyes a little — 
 “ Hope ” he said very humbly, “ I know I have no 
 right to come here — but — but I have had strange 
 news within the last few hours and Sir John Wigram 
 gave me your address — I — I was obliged to come — 
 it is your right to know it.” 
 
 She was trembling violently — but for the support 
 of the chimney-shelf she must have fallen and she 
 held her right hand hard upon her throat to still 
 the fierce throbbing there. 
 
 “ Won’t you even speak to me, Hope ? ” he asked 
 reproachfully — and let me tell you nothing is so 
 reproachful as a man who has wronged a woman if 
 afterwards he repents him of the evil. 
 
86 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 She tried to force down the great lump in her 
 throat. “ I — you have taken me aback,” she 
 managed to say — ‘‘I — I — never thought of your 
 coming here. I shall be all right in a minute but 
 — but you frightened me.” 
 
 I thought if I sent in my name that you would 
 not receive me,” he exclaimed. But you are 
 trembling and cold ” — for he had got hold of both 
 her hands by that time — Let me put your chair 
 nearer the fire — oh! I forgot there is no fire. 
 Forgive me.” 
 
 But she did not sit down, she stood just where 
 she was and he kept fast hold of her hands devour- 
 ing her with hungry eyes which found her fairer 
 and lovelier even than she had been among the rich 
 surroundings of a woman of fashion. 
 
 You are not angry with me for coming ? ” he 
 asked. 
 
 He was in no hurry to tell her the news which 
 had brought him there, indeed he forgot everything 
 except herself. 
 
 “ No — I am not angry,” she answered — her 
 agitation was beginning to wear oflf — but I would 
 like to know why you have come — after all these 
 years.” 
 
 She uttered the last words in a much lower tone 
 and with a certain amount of hesitation. To Adair 
 they told a story of forlorn weariness even greater 
 than his own, and oh ! how his conscience smote him 
 at that moment, how his heart ached for her, for 
 himself, and for that other girl who had been so 
 generous to them both when he might have 
 expected and could not have resented a fierce 
 torrent of reproaches. 
 
 He drew her hands close to his heart — Hope,” 
 he said humbly, I don’t deserve that you should 
 speak to me even — I have come to you with the 
 most abject humility for the hideous wrong that I 
 
AGAIN— AGAIN. 
 
 87 
 
 have done you — I know all the truth now, or enough 
 of the truth to know that I did wrong you utterly 
 and absolutely. And when I remember that pitiful 
 night when you came to me and I — I sneered at 
 you, when my heart was breaking, Hope, and I loved 
 you more than ever — when I remember how I 
 refused to believe you, how I let you go out into the 
 dark night alone, Hope, I feel as if I shall go mad 
 now that I know the truth.” 
 
 His poor shamed face was white and drawn and 
 quivering with emotion, he held her hands tightly 
 against his heart still and devoured her lovely face 
 with sad and love-starved eyes. He was almost 
 afraid to tell her what had brought him there. 
 
 And Hope — Well, she who had borne the brunt 
 and all the material trials of that cruel mistake, she 
 who had fought hard with poverty, almost with 
 privation, she who had unhesitatingly resisted the 
 mighty temptation which a great marriage offered 
 to her, she played in that supreme moment of misery 
 for them both the part of comforter to the man 
 who had unwittingly wronged her and who had 
 judged her with stern and bitter unforgivingness. 
 
 ‘‘ You thought that I had wronged you,” she said 
 softly — and if I had been what you thought you 
 would have been justified in every word that you 
 said, in everything that you did.” 
 
 ‘‘Oh! no — no,” he cried sharply — “I was wrong, 
 Hope, wrong, all wrong. I never knew the mean- 
 ing or value of mercy until now — and you — your 
 merciful excuse hurts me more than all the 
 reproaches in the world would do.” 
 
 “ I didn’t mean it,” she said simply — “ it is all 
 hard and cruel enough without my making it worse 
 now. But Dick, you haven’t told me yet what it is 
 you have heard.” 
 
 He could put it off no longer, so he gave her the 
 paper which Trevor had brought him and stood 
 
83 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 watching her as she read it. She showed no 
 surprise but quietly folded the paper and looked 
 at him enquiringly. 
 
 I have already set the police to trace out Eosalie 
 Vallin,” he said. 
 
 You will not find her,” she answered quietly. 
 
 ^‘Why not?” 
 
 Because she is dead.” 
 
 How do you know ? ” eagerly. 
 
 She did not speak for a moment — she seemed to 
 be going back over the past and she sighed ere she 
 broke the silence. 
 
 ‘‘ Eosalie died nearly two years ago — she died 
 here 
 
 In this house ? ” Adair cried incredulously. 
 
 “ In this house,” she said quietly — and with her 
 hand in mine.” 
 
 And she confessed ? ” 
 
 Everything.” 
 
 You have it in writing ? ” 
 
 Yes — the doctor witnessed it.” 
 
 You ought to have had a magistrate.” 
 
 ‘‘I had — he is a justice for his own county — 
 Dr. Langdale came up to give an opinion on her 
 case and he heard her statement and put it all cor- 
 rectly and formally down. I have it now.” 
 
 ‘^And you have had the power to prove your 
 innocence for two years and you never used it. 
 You never told me,” he cried with deepest reproach 
 — you left me in the dark all this time. Oh ! 
 Hope.” 
 
 She raised her seraphic and dove-like eyes to 
 his. You forget, Dick — ” she said — that I knew 
 nothing of your life, of your circumstances, except 
 such as the merest outsider could know. I knew 
 that you were married — that — ” with a scarcely 
 perceptible quiver of her lips — that you had mar- 
 ried Flossie Tempest. How was I to know whether 
 
AGAIN— AGAIN. 
 
 89 
 
 you cared if I was innocent or guilty ? For any 
 knowledge I had, you might have been as happy 
 or more happy with her, than you were with me — I 
 — I had no grudge against her, and what was done 
 could not be undone. If I had told you all this 
 two years ago, it would have made her, and per- 
 haps you too, wretched, but nothing could have 
 given me back my happy past. So what was the 
 good of speaking ? ” 
 
 But your name — that could have been cleared,” 
 he cried. 
 
 A faint smile crossed her lips — Oh ! my name 
 — that is a matter of small importance against other 
 considerations. Who knows or cares about my 
 name now ? I hardly think anyone I knew before 
 knows if I am alive or dead, and nobody I know 
 now doubts but that I am Mrs. Mervyn, a young 
 widow struggling to make a decent living by teach- 
 ing little lads their letters and pot-hooks. Oh ! no, 
 Dick, my name matters to no one.” 
 
 It matters to me,” he cried stoutly — and it 
 shall be cleared to the whole world as soon as the 
 lawyers can do it. And, Hope, you will not go on 
 keeping this wretched little school now? You 
 will use your settlements, they are yours and you 
 have never touched them. But you will now, and 
 let me provide for you properly, suitably — as the 
 sign of your forgiveness.” 
 
 She hesitated a moment — Yes,” she said after a 
 few moments, ‘^I will use my settlements — but no 
 more — it will be wealth to me after my struggles 
 here and I shall not need more. But — but — about 
 Flossie ? Does she know yet ? Need she ? ” 
 
 “ Flossie knew almost as soon as I did — she saw 
 the statement last night. She has left me — 
 nothing would induce her to remain.” 
 
 But — why ? ” in amazement. 
 
 Because she never herself believed a word 
 
90 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 against you, she always told me so. But Mrs. 
 Ponsonby badgered her into accepting me, and I 
 asked her because I was so lonely, so wretched, I 
 couldn’t stand living alone and that’s just the plain 
 truth. I didn’t care a button for her or she a toss 
 for me — we never pretended to. But she never 
 sympathised with me or talked meek and modest 
 at me and I was half-mad and it came about some- 
 how.” 
 
 “ But you care for her now ? ” Hope cried. 
 
 No — I like her — we’ve got on very well each 
 on our own line. She’s been a good wife all along, 
 and since this came out, Hope, she has been an 
 angel, the most generous, the most noble woman 
 I ever knew excepting yourself. For instance, 
 almost her first thought was for you. She planned 
 it all out in a minute — that I should take you back 
 to G-rosvenor Street — and she would live in a flat 
 and nobody would blame her in any way, everybody 
 would understand exactly. And then when I told 
 her nothing could be made different, she proposed 
 that I should try to get an Act of Parliament passed 
 to dissolve the marriage and leave me free to marry 
 you again — if you would.” 
 
 He added the words as an afterthought and Hope 
 caught at them eagerly, the tears streaming down 
 her face — If I would — if I would — oh ! Dick — 
 Dick — if I only could ! I almost wish you had not 
 come back — I was getting used to being alone — 
 Now it will be harder than ever. And yet — no — 
 no — I don’t wish that, but if you see Flossie, tell 
 her I thanked her, that I do thank her with all my 
 heart and soul — tell her I bless her for ever.” 
 
 She broke down unrestrainedly then and sobbed 
 as she had not sobbed since the night Eosalie 
 Vallin died. And Adair half beside himself held 
 her in his arms and tried to soothe and comfort her, 
 and presently she grew calmer and drew herself 
 
AGAIN— AGAIN. 
 
 Cl 
 
 away from him. I was foolish — I don’t often give 
 way,” she said, trying to smile. 
 
 So they sat on the little old sofa together and 
 talked of the old happy days as only men and 
 women can when the blind of fate has come down 
 and shut the sunshine out of their lives. And 
 presently Adair asked her a question. 
 
 Tell me, darling,” — he sai(f, unconsciously slip- 
 ping back into the old tender way of addressing 
 her — how came that woman here ? ” 
 
 ‘‘Eosalie — Well, it was quite an extraordinary 
 coincidence,” she replied — ‘‘ it was a little later than 
 this, a cold wet night and I was sitting by the fire 
 reading, when my little maid came in — it was this 
 girl Virtue, who had only been a few weeks with me 
 — and told me that a woman was sitting on the door- 
 step evidently very ill. I went out. I felt that 
 she was not only very ill but dying, and — and — my 
 own life and experience have made me very tender 
 to those in trouble or distress, and I determined to 
 bring her in and see what was the matter with her. 
 Between us Virtue and 1 managed to drag her in 
 here, and then in a moment, I knew her. She was 
 dying, in the last stage of consumption with blood 
 upon her lips every few minutes. She was without 
 a penny in the world, without a home, without a 
 friend and — and — I forgot what she had done and 
 kept her right to the end — it wasn’t very long.” 
 
 My generous love,” murmured Adair tenderly. 
 
 But Eosalie could be generous too. She need 
 not have told me the truth — if I had turned her out 
 that night she never would have told it. Conscience 
 never troubled her, but a little kindness touched 
 her as nothing else did.” 
 
 ‘‘But who paid her? Why did she lie against 
 you as she did ? ” Adair asked. 
 
 “ I don’t know. She would not tell me the name. 
 She said she had been paid and that she would keep 
 
92 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 her bargain. All she would say was that it was a 
 woman who had loved you years before, loved you 
 hopelessly and was tortured by the sight of our 
 happiness. She thought if we were parted ” 
 
 I know,” said Adair, in an awed tone, *‘and 
 vengeance fell upon that unhappy woman — she is 
 raving mad now, without hope of recovery. I never 
 dreamt of her in connection with all this before — 
 now I see it all.” 
 
 Before she could speak again the door was flung 
 open and a child ran in, throwing himself upon 
 her with many demonstrations of delight. Is the 
 gentleman never going ? ” he demanded, fixing a 
 pair of wide-open gray eyes upon Adair. 
 
 Adair was puzzled ! The child was so like some- 
 one he knew and knew well, but he did not know 
 whom. 
 
 Is this one of your little pupils ? ” he asked 
 kindly — he felt overflowing with kindness just then, 
 although Hope, in reality, was as far away from him 
 as ever. ^'He’s a jolly little chap anyhow! How 
 old is he ? Five or six ? ” 
 
 Hope turned and looked at him with an ineffable 
 smile lighting up her face. ‘‘ Dick,” she said, 
 donT you understand ? ” 
 
 Hope ! ” He stared at her, and all the colour 
 faded from his face in an instant, he was almost 
 afraid to breathe. 
 
 She bit her lip, and drew the child close to her 
 side, still looking at him with that wonderful 
 mother-love shining in her tender eyes. 
 
 Yes,” she said, it is quite true. Eobin has 
 been the very comfort of my heart since I left home 
 I called him Eichard Mervyn Adair, but I couldn't 
 call him ‘ Dick.’ I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” 
 
 For a time there was dead silence — Hope looking 
 proud and smiling, the child gazing at the strange 
 gentleman and Adair staring wildly first at Hope 
 
OLD LINKS WE BREAK! 
 
 93 
 
 and then at the child. He tried to think — to 
 remember — and then suddenly he knew to whom 
 the likeness in the child was — it was to himself, it 
 was his own face which looked at him from under 
 that mass of sunny curls — it was — it was — but no, 
 he could bear the strain no longer, he flung himself 
 down upon the cushions of the sofa and hid his face 
 there, bursting into a storm of bitter sobs. 
 
 What is the gentleman crying for, Mother ? ” 
 Eobin asked. ‘^You aren’t angry with him, are 
 you ? Has anyone hurted him ? ” 
 
 No, darling, no,'*’ answered Hope, keeping her 
 hand upon Adair’s heaving shoulder. ‘‘ I am not 
 angry with him at all, darling.” 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 OLD LINKS WE BREAK ! 
 
 When Adair left Lime Tree Road, he took the train 
 straight back to Sloane Square, and thence went to 
 Mrs. Ponsonby's house in Cadogan Square. The 
 servant who opened the door told him that Mrs. 
 Adair had been out driving during the afternoon, 
 but that he believed she was at home. And, surely 
 enough, he found her in her sister’s boudoir reading 
 a novel. 
 
 ‘‘ Oh, Dick, is it you ? ” she cried, throwing the 
 book down. Well, have you any news ? ” 
 have seen Hope,” he answered. 
 
 ‘‘Poor Hope, how does she look? Was she 
 surprised ? Was she glad ? ” 
 
 “ She is not much altered in looks, a little thinner 
 perhaps, and she looks more — more womanly,” he 
 replied. “ She has gone through a great deal, she 
 has had a hard fight for existence, and it has all 
 left its mark upon her. She wasn’t much surprised, 
 for she knew.” 
 
94 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 She knew what ? ” 
 
 mean,” said Adair, ^^that she has had the 
 proof of her innocence in her possession for two 
 years ” 
 
 ‘‘ And never let you know ! ” Flossie cried in 
 amazement. 
 
 No — she thought it best to say nothing,” and 
 then Adair told her all that he had learned from 
 Hope, he told her all the reasons which had kept 
 her from speaking, told her all the struggles and 
 privations through which she had gone, and finally 
 told her of the child, his child, his living image, of 
 whose very existence he had not known until that 
 self-same day. 
 
 I think perhaps that he had never been so 
 surprised in all his life before as he was by the way 
 in which Flossie took this particular bit of news. 
 ‘‘ I know what I ought to say,” she cried, dashing 
 the tears away from her eyes, and then bringing to 
 light a scrap of dainty silky muslin and lace with 
 which to dry them — I ought to say that this blow 
 has crushed me, that though I didn’t care a button 
 for you when we were married, yet I have learned 
 to adore you since with all my heart and soul. But 
 I don’t, Dick, I can’t ! I never liked you better 
 than I do this minute, and I never pitied you so 
 intensely before. But my heart is full to bursting 
 when I think of that poor girl shut out in the cold, 
 and I’m glad, Dick, that I never had any children, 
 because if I had I couldnH feel so glad that, after 
 all, you have Hope’s child to think of, your heir.” 
 
 But,” — said Adair in a strangled voice — ‘‘ will 
 not the divorce mnke a difference to him ? ” 
 
 Not a legal difference, Dick,” she said. 
 
 “ Are you sure ? ” 
 
 Yes — quite sure. Mr. Kindelberg” — naming a 
 famous Q.U. — has been here this afternoon and, of 
 course, we talked a great deal about it. He said 
 
OLD LINKS WE BREAK 1 
 
 9.3 
 
 that he had always thought it was such a good 
 thing that Hope had no children, because if one had 
 been born before the final decree and was a boy, he 
 would have been your legal heir.” 
 
 I am not very clear about it,” Adair said — I 
 must find out all about that.” 
 
 You will find that I am right. Mr. Kindelberg 
 knows what he is talking about. Oh ! Dick, I’m so 
 glad there is a child, and a boy too — I know I ought 
 to feel differently, but I don’t — I can’t — so what is 
 the use of pretending. I feel so for Hope. Poor 
 girl — poor Hope. And you are as far apart, Dick, as 
 ever.” 
 
 ‘‘ Yes,” said Adair in a low voice. 
 
 For my part I shall see about a flat at once. I 
 shall be quite happy, you needn’t worry about me 
 at all. You know we never liked quite the same 
 things, you and I, and I think I shall like being 
 on my own hook entirely. You’ll come and see me 
 now and then, won’t you ? ” 
 
 Oh ! Flossie,” he exclaimed. 
 
 Ah ! you don’t take life as philosophically as I 
 do,” she said gaily. And I don’t wonder, I really 
 don’t. My poor boy, you’ve had a rough experience 
 and you have felt everything far more deeply than 
 you ever would admit. I know it. But, Dick, you 
 must be happier already than you were — You know 
 that Hope is just as good and true as you used to 
 think her, as you %cant to think her, and she isn’t 
 alone. She has a lovely child of her own — hers and 
 yours — that must have taken half the sting out of 
 her trouble. So, though you are set apart by the 
 wretched ridiculous law still, yet you are differently 
 apart. You must be happier for that kuowledge, 
 and I shall be as lia[)py as can be, I promise you.” 
 
 ‘‘ There is one thing that I shall never forget, 
 Flossie,” he said gratefully — You might have 
 reproached me and you did not.” 
 
06 
 
 aOOD-BYE. 
 
 She looked at him with a smile. ^‘Did Hope 
 reproach you ? ” she asked. 
 
 No, she did not,” he admitted. 
 
 ‘Hf I were to reproach you ever so bitterly, if I were 
 to worry you up hill and down dale, and make your 
 life a perfect burden to you, would that have made 
 things easier for any of us ? If Hope could meet 
 you without reproaches, surely I may do so. And 
 besides that — I think I shall have a very good time 
 living in a sweet little flat of my own. I have often 
 felt the responsibility of being mistress of that big 
 house far more than you would think. I don’t like 
 responsibility and I hate house-keeping as an occu- 
 pation — a flat and three maids will suit me down to 
 the ground.” 
 
 Adair was a trifle hurt. He could not understand 
 that Flossie could so cheerfully give up her place as 
 his wife and prattle gaily and lightly about the 
 single life which lay before her. He admired her 
 for the firmness with which she refused to contem- 
 plate filling Hope’s place any longer, for the nice 
 distinction she made between filling the place of 
 one whom he believed to have betrayed him, against 
 whom there was more than a suspicion of such a 
 betrayal, and one who had been proved to be inno- 
 cent. And yet I think he would have liked Flossie 
 to be more grieved, more sorry to break away thus, 
 from the home and the associations of five years ; 
 but he never for a moment realised that, the first 
 surprise and shock over, Flossie had instinctively, as 
 a flower turns tovrards the sun, set her mind to 
 make the best of the situation. And although she had 
 not yet admitted as much to herself and would not 
 have allowed anyone else to hint that such a feeling 
 could have its existence within her hear!, yet already 
 she was feeling something of what a child feels when 
 holiday time has come, a sense of delicious freedom 
 and relief from an irksome sense of restraint. 
 
OLD LINKS WE BREAK! 
 
 97 
 
 For almost from the day of their marriage, Adair 
 had bored her to extinction. She had always liked 
 him and she could not help respecting him, but she 
 was dreadfully bored all the same. And now in 
 spite of her real womanly sympathy for Hope, in 
 spite of her equally real regrets that she could not 
 do something which would enable Adair to take 
 Hope home again, a certain feeling of exhilaration 
 possessed her and influenced her mind and manners 
 accordingly. 
 
 “I don’t want to stop here,” she remarked 
 presently. Margaret’s observations are too trying ; 
 she persists in treating me as a heart-broken out- 
 cast, which is unpleasant. To-morrow I shall go 
 and look out for a flat and the sooner I settle down 
 in it the better it will be for everybody. By the 
 bye, I suppose you don’t particularly want to see 
 Margaret .? ” 
 
 No — I — can’t say I do,” Adair admitted. 
 
 Oh ! well, I wouldn’t if I were you — She will 
 only say something to upset you. I had to make 
 her promise faithfully that when you came she 
 would not come into sight unless I sent for her. 
 And now, Dick, I must be thinking of dressing for 
 dinner. You’ll come and see me sometimes and 
 we are always the best of friends, are we not ? ” 
 
 Always,” returned Adair promptly — for my 
 part, Flossie, I shall never forget how nobly and 
 generously you have behaved both to me and to my 
 poor girl.” 
 
 There — there — say no more about that,” she said 
 quickly. ‘‘ Grood-bye, Dick — And oh ! by the bye, 
 you may as well give me Hope’s address — I should 
 like to go and see her. There are so many things 
 that I can say that I could not write — and — and I 
 don’t think she would mind seeing me.” 
 
 I am sure of that,” said Adair earnestly. 
 
 7 
 
CHAPTEK XV. 
 
 WITHOUT HOPE. 
 
 It was wonderful how soon the surprise, the con- 
 jecture and the interest in the revival of ‘Hhe Adair 
 Scandal ” died away ; and Adair, after making every 
 effort possible to clear his first wife’s name of dis- 
 grace, found himself alone again. 
 
 Just at first he had a great deal to occupy him, 
 and a definite end to attain. There were several 
 interviews with Sir John Wigram, who loathed the 
 very sight of him and promptly went down to Lime 
 Tree Eoad and renewed his offer of marriage to 
 Mrs. Mervyn. 
 
 You gave as one of your reasons for not accept- 
 ing it before,” he said to her — the fact that there 
 was a cloud upon your name. And now that the 
 cloud is removed, I have come to you again.” 
 
 But Hope shook her head, sadly but resolutely. 
 ‘‘ If I had never known my boy’s father, Sir John,” 
 she said simply — I should have been proud and 
 happy to have become your wife. But I never loved 
 but one man in my life and him I love just the 
 same to-day as I did ten years ago, as I shall do to 
 the last hour of my life. But, Sir John, you have 
 been the kindest and best and dearest of friends 
 to me and you won’t let this come in between us, 
 will you ? ” 
 
 ‘‘ Certainly not,” he replied quickly — “ but tell 
 me one thing. Don’t be offended at what I am 
 going to say, because you know I am not a young 
 
WITHOUT HOPE. 
 
 99 
 
 man and I have seen a great deal of a very unhappy 
 side of life. You will not let yourself be drawn into 
 a very intimate friendship with Adair.” 
 
 There can be no friendship between us,” she 
 answered in a pained and almost inaudible voice. 
 
 Just so — that is what I want to warn ydu 
 against,” Sir John said. All the world knows that 
 Adair repented of what he had done as soon as he 
 did it — that he married Miss Tempest out of sheer 
 loneliness and found very little satisfaction in the 
 marriage. Now he is more hopelessly in love with 
 you than he ever was before, and the mere fact that 
 you are the mother of his only child, his heir, is 
 enough of itself to draw him continually towards 
 you, without any other reason. And although it is 
 only natural that he should be so drawn towards 
 you, you ought to — ^you must — remember that the 
 eyes of the whole world will be upon you, and that 
 the world is very censorious.” 
 
 ‘‘ I have thought of all that,” she said faintly. 
 
 And as Sir John had prophesied, Adair found his 
 way continually to the little house in Lime Tree 
 Eoad, one trifling excuse after another serving to 
 take him there. 
 
 He had at first insisted that Hope should give up 
 her little school at once, but upon that point she 
 was firm and she resolutely declined to do so. 
 “ No ” — she said — my kind friends here have been 
 my means of living for five years and I will not 
 throw them over in that way. It would be mean to 
 do it. I will give it up at the midsummer term — 
 not before.” 
 
 But it’s — it’s derogatory — my wife ” he 
 
 began, when she interrupted him. 
 
 “ You forget, Dick ” — she said very gently — 
 “that I did not come here as your wife but as a 
 poor woman who was very thankful to gather a few 
 little pupils together by whom to live ” 
 
 7 
 
100 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 There was never under any circumstances, the 
 
 smallest need ” he began fiercely. 
 
 No, dear, but I thought so,” she answered. It 
 would be very hard upon me if they had all given 
 me up without a moment’s warning, wouldn’t it ? ” 
 That’s a different case altogether. I’m sure not 
 one of the people here would wish you to go on 
 under the circumstances.” 
 
 No, but I want to go on, and I mean to go on. It 
 may surprise you, Dick,” she said smiling — ‘‘ but I 
 am really fond of my work. I love all children and 
 they are such dear little things most of them. No, 
 I will go on until the holidays come and then I will 
 give them up.” 
 
 And then ? ” jealously. 
 
 She gave a sigh — Well, I should like most of all 
 to take Kobin for a long, long spell at the seaside. 
 We have never been able to manage more than a 
 week at a time.” 
 
 Adair almost cried out from the pain with which 
 her words smote him. Oh ! Hope — my love — my 
 darling” — he exclaimed — ‘“how even your kindest 
 words reproach me and wound me. It breaks my 
 heart to think of you screwing one poor little week’s 
 pleasure out of your hard earnings — while I have 
 been gadding about spending money all the time.” 
 
 “Never mind — never mind. I am going to make 
 up for all that now, and Eobin shall have donkey- 
 rides every day if he likes. Don’t think about the 
 past, Dick.” 
 
 “ No, no, we will only think of the future, Hope ! 
 He shall have a pony of his own — I’ll go and see 
 about it to-morrow.” 
 
 “ Better let him keep to his donkey at first,” 
 Hope said smiling to think of the child’s pleasure. 
 
 “ Oh ! I’ll soon teach him to ride — a bright little 
 chap like that can learn anything in a few weeks,” 
 Adair cried. He was quite excited in planning out 
 
WITHOUT HOPE. 
 
 101 
 
 pleasure for the boy, his boy as he often reminded 
 himself. And when you get back to London he 
 shall have the pony. Where do you think we had 
 better go ? ” 
 
 Dick ” — she cried — you forget — you cannot go.” 
 
 No — no — but I can come and see you, can’t I ? ” 
 
 I don’t think so.” 
 
 But why ? If you go to a quiet enough place, 
 who is to know anything about it ? Oh ! I must 
 come down while you are there — I must, Hope.” 
 
 But Dick,” she said — “ if you do — and you come 
 to see me continually in Town, what will the end of 
 it all be ? Don’t you see that you are making it 
 harder for me, harder for both of us in the end ? 
 We cannot be friends, you and I, Dick, it is out of 
 the question — impossible. We may as well accept 
 the inevitable first as last.” 
 
 Half a loaf is better than no bread,” he urged. 
 
 If you ask me, Hope, I would rather far rather 
 come in and see you for ten minutes once a week, 
 once a month, than — than have any other pleasure 
 in the world.” 
 
 Yes, I know. And then you would want to 
 come twice a week, then every day. Then you 
 would find it hard to go away at all and ” 
 
 And I should want to stay altogether,” he cried 
 triumphantly — Yes, I daresay I should.” 
 
 Yes, but — you make it all the harder for me,” 
 she said. 
 
 ‘‘But it is hard,” he cried — “look at it which 
 way you will, it is hard. Still, Hope, I do think 
 the world would understand — I think people would 
 be charitable enough not to think ill of my coming 
 to see my own child, don’t you ? ” 
 
 “Perhaps — I do not know. I’m afraid I was 
 thinking only of myself and — and — Dick, it hurts 
 me less the days that I don’t see you, than the days 
 when I do.” 
 
102 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 She spoke in accents of such intense pain, her 
 eyes were so full of yearning and sorrow, and her 
 poor lips trembled so piteously, that Adair realised, 
 all in a moment, what he had never realised before, 
 that her grief was greater than his, her burden of 
 life was infinitely harder to carry, if anything harder 
 to carry now than it had been before. 
 
 The future over which he looked from the 
 standpoint of that moment, was blank and desolate 
 and dreary. There was only one improbable and 
 remote contingency which in this world could open 
 the gates of iron and let him pass into happiness 
 again — and even from that contingency his whole 
 soul shrank as it would shrink from mental murder. 
 All was blank and desolate and impalpable, the 
 darkness lighted only by a little child’s sunny eyes, 
 the silence only broken by a little child’s ringing 
 laugh. And for all the rest, the world of the future, 
 all was chill and dark. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 UNTIL THE DAY BREAK ! 
 
 After this Adair found himself practically alone 
 again. He never thought of giving up his house, or 
 of going away to try to forget his troubles as he 
 had done before. On the contrary he stayed quietly 
 on in Town, not going into society it is true but 
 ' living a dull regular kind of life, as many men do. 
 
 Flossie, who was the best of friends with him, 
 had already settled herself in a pretty flat in Earl’s 
 Court, and was having an uncommonly good time 
 making the best of things. With a little per- 
 suasion she consented to have certain favourite 
 ornaments and articles of furniture from Grrosvenor 
 Street, with which to embellish her new home, and 
 Adair made her some very handsome presents to 
 the same end. 
 
UNTIL THE DAY BREAK I 
 
 103 
 
 And when she had almost got settled, she be- 
 thought herself of her wish to go and see Hope. 
 
 I have not been yet,” she explained to x\dair 
 one day when he had called upon her to see how 
 she was getting on — I wanted to get myself settled 
 and out of the reach of Margaret’s tongue — Margaret 
 explains things so, you know. And I didn’t want 
 to rush down there in too great a hurry — I wanted 
 to let Hope get used to the new state of affairs a 
 little.” 
 
 As a matter of fact, she had thought that as Hope 
 had been feeling the pinch of poverty for the past five 
 years, she would give her time to get a few new 
 frocks before she descended upon her. So, having 
 as she thought waited long enough, she drove down 
 to Putney one afternoon about five o’clock and asked 
 for Mrs. Mervyn. 
 
 There was no rancour, no jealousy, no ill-feeling 
 of any kind in Hope’s beautiful mind. She 
 accepted Flossie as one involved with herself in a 
 common misfortune, and the two sat together on 
 the little sofa for a long time talking it all over, 
 and discussing the situation from every possible 
 point of view. 
 
 I still think,” Flossie said at last, that Dick 
 might have got our marriage put aside — ^you can 
 do anything with an Act of Parliament, anything. 
 But he seems to think it would be a great slight 
 to me even to try — I cant look at it in that light 
 at all. My dear Hope, there is nothing, nothing 
 short of taking my life or disgracing myself, that I 
 would not do to give you back your own place again.” 
 
 My dear Flossie,” Hope cried gratefully — ‘‘ you 
 are so kind and good and unselfish.” 
 
 Not at all. It would simply cost me nothing,” 
 she protested — “ In fact, I would rather, yes, really 
 rather that the marriage was set aside, for Dick 
 would be happy then and so would you, and I could 
 
104 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 enjoy myself without my conscience troubling me 
 as it does now.” 
 
 ‘‘ Oh ! Flossie,” the other burst out — didn’t you 
 like Dick ? Didn’t you feel leaving him ? Was it 
 all nothing to you ? ” 
 
 Her tone was one of anguish and Flossie took both 
 her hands as she answered: 
 
 My dear,” she said very kindly but with perfect 
 honesty — when Dick married me he had no love 
 to offer me — you still had it all. I liked him very 
 well then, just as I do now. But I never cared a 
 straw for but one man in my life, and he married 
 another woman for a few thousand pounds and a 
 diamond necklace. It’s no use pretending to you 
 that I am heart-broken at what has happened — 
 I am not, excepting so far as you and Dick are 
 concerned.' Dick was a good match and I liked 
 him well enough, but his way wasn’t my way 
 and he bored me to extinction. I did my best 
 as his wife and he was a good indulgent husband to 
 me. But there wasn’t enough love lost between 
 the two of us for you to worry yourself about for one 
 moment.” 
 
 I thought it fell so hardly upon you,” murmured 
 Hope, who had always adored Dick and simply could 
 not understand anyone being bored by him. 
 
 ‘‘In the beginning,” said the other promptly, “it 
 was the hardest for you. Now I think it is the worst 
 for poor Dick, because you have always the child.” 
 
 “ I may not always have the child,” Hope said 
 with an effort. “ He is Dick’s child as well as mine 
 and he has a right to ” 
 
 “ But Dick will never exercise that right, never,” 
 Flossie cried — “ Dick would die first. If I were you 
 I should let the little lad go and see him sometimes. 
 Send the maid with him, so that there would be 
 some one if he got frightened or homesick or 
 anything.” 
 
UNTIL THE DAY BREAK! 
 
 105 
 
 So the following morning Hope, catching at the 
 idea, dressed little Kobin in his best, a white sailor 
 suit with a collar of turquoise blue, and sent him in 
 charge of Virtue to spend the day as a surprise to 
 his father. And when Eobin got there, his father 
 had gone away for three days ; if the truth be told 
 he had gone to look round two or three watering- 
 places that he might make or at least suggest some 
 arrangement for Hope’s comfort. However, Hope 
 sent the child up to Grrosvenor Street three or four 
 times before they went off on a long glorious holiday 
 at the seaside. 
 
 Hope had chosen Eastbourne as being the best 
 possible place for the child, and at Eastbourne they 
 remained for two months in what to little Eobin 
 seemed like Paradise. 
 
 For he had everything that the heart of any little 
 boy could desire, donkey-rides every day and to an 
 unlimited extent, with all the other luxuries which 
 go to make a perfect existence at the places devoted 
 to holiday pleasures. 
 
 And at last they came back to the little house in 
 Lime Tree Eoad, and Hope set to work in right 
 good earnest to find a suitable place in which to 
 make herself a home henceforward. 
 
 Like Flossie, her mind ran towards a flat, and 
 after looking over several blocks of such buildings, 
 she decided upon one not many minutes’ walk from 
 the mansion where Mrs. Adair lived. This she 
 furnished very simply but with much taste, and then, 
 with a couple of nice maids, she and Eobin took 
 possession of it and turned their backs upon the old 
 life of pinching poverty for ever. 
 
 It was by then the middle of October. Of Adair 
 she had seen nothing since she had let slip that 
 agonised appeal that he should keep away from her 
 because the pain of seeing him was greater than the 
 pain of separation. But he wrote to her twice 
 
106 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 or three times a week, and over and over again he 
 begged her to go back to Grrosvenor Street and 
 choose whatever she would for the beautifying of 
 her new abode. 
 
 But Hope never did. know the kindness 
 
 which prompts your wish,” she said — but please 
 please, dear Dick, don’t ask me ever. to go into that 
 house again. I could not do it. I use your dress- 
 ing-bag — my dressing - bag — every day, and I 
 am wearing my ruby ring— the one you gave me. 
 But I could not bear the sight of that house again, 
 -I could not.” 
 
 And Adair finding that she was inflexible on this 
 point, let the subject drop and contented himself by 
 sending her all sorts of little quaint and curious 
 odds and ends picked up during his autumn wander- 
 ings. And at last growing weary of wandering he 
 came home again and wrote announcing his arrival 
 and begging to be allowed to come and see her — 
 ‘^if only just this once.” 
 
 But Hope said no — She was longing to see him, 
 aching pining for a glimpse of him, yet she was reso- 
 lute and firm. No — don’t come. I am strong away 
 from you — I will not answer for my strength if you 
 are often with me. I will send Eobin to see you.” 
 
 With that Adair perforce was obliged to content 
 himself; but he thoroughly enjoyed the child’s 
 company and took him here and there, showing him 
 to the friends for whom he cared most, buying him 
 all manner of presents, petting him and lavishing 
 upon him all the love that he was longing to lavish 
 upon his mother. 
 
 And about the end of October Mrs. Adair also 
 returned to Town from a trip abroad and a round of 
 visits among her friends ; and the day after her 
 return she went to see Hope. 
 
 But you are ill,” Hope cried as soon as her eyes 
 fell upon her. 
 
UNTIL THE DAY BREAK! 
 
 107 
 
 ‘‘Not very well,” Flossie answered. “I haven’t 
 been well for some months — I am going to see 
 Dillory to-morrow. And how’s the child — never 
 mind about me — I want to see the boy.” 
 
 “ He has been in Grrosvenor Street all day,” Hope 
 answered. 
 
 “ Have you seen Dick ? ” Flossie asked. 
 
 “No.” 
 
 “ Didn’t he want to come to see you ? ” she 
 demanded. 
 
 “ Yes — he did,” Hope admitted. 
 
 “ But my dear child, why shouldn’t he come and 
 see you ? ” Flossie cried. “ You are not afraid of 
 what people will say surely ? And besides, everyone 
 is so sorry for you both, for us all, and they all speak 
 so kindly about you — I really don’t think anyone 
 would blame you whatever you did. Not ” — hastily 
 — “ that I am advocating extreme measures, Hope. 
 Don’t mistake, me dear.” 
 
 Hope had just slipped down upon the hearthrug 
 when Flossie asked the first question. She bent 
 her pretty fair head now until it almost touched the 
 other’s knee. “ Don’t you understand, Flossie ? ” 
 she said — “I’m afraid to let him come here.” 
 
 “My poor girl,” siid Flossie. “My poor, poor 
 child.” 
 
 For a long time they sat together holding each 
 other’s hands and scarcely speaking. Adair’s wife 
 could hardly understand the yearning and pain in 
 the heart of the mother of his child, the innocent 
 mother who had suffered so deeply for the spite of 
 a woman whom she had never seen. But although 
 she could not fully realize what that yearning and 
 pain was, she yet respected it, aye felt for it as ten- 
 derly as if lier sympathy had come out of her own 
 sad and bitter experience. 
 
 They were sitting there still when the boy came 
 home, excited and brim-full of the events of the day. 
 
103 
 
 GOODBYE. 
 
 Father bought me a watch to-day, Mother,” he 
 said gaily. Look, isn’t it a beauty ? And a chain 
 and all.” Then he caught sight of Mrs. Adair and 
 said— « Oh ! ” 
 
 “ You didn’t see me, young sir ? ” said she 
 smiling. I don’t believe you remember me ? ” 
 
 Yes, I do,” answered Eobin promptly, because 
 you have the same name as Father and me — you’re 
 Mrs. Adair.” 
 
 Yes, that is so,” she answered. 
 
 “ I can’t quite make it out,” Eobin said, fixing her 
 with his great gray eyes. All the boys that I 
 know have fathers and mothers called alike — Mr. 
 and Mrs. Brown — Mr. and Mrs. Stuart. But my 
 father and mother are called different names, and 
 your name is the same as Father’s. Isn’t it very 
 queer ? ” 
 
 It is rather queer,” said Flossie quietly — “ and 
 some day when you are a big man you will know 
 all about it.” 
 
 I’d like to know now,” he persisted. 
 
 “ That’s not possible. A long time ago, my little 
 man, a great mistake was made. Perhaps some day 
 it may be all put right — I think it not unlikely.” 
 
 Hope had hidden her face against Flossie’s gown, 
 the boy stood looking gravely into the fire. 
 
 Yes. I suppose that is so,” he said dreamily, 
 for I asked Father about it this afternoon, and he 
 told me he. couldn’t tell me either. And Father is 
 so dreadfully sorry about it too — he cried to-day — 
 at least I think he cried. I won’t be quite sure but 
 I think so. He always very nearly cries when I 
 come away too.” 
 
 Mrs. Adair put her arm round Hope and held her 
 close for a minute. Little man,” she said, in a 
 bright tone, a tone which expressed something very 
 different to the kind pressure of her arm — if your 
 fond and foolish father has not surfeited you with 
 
UNTIL THE DAY BREAK? 
 
 109 
 
 sweets already, you may look in my coat and in one 
 of the pockets you will find a box. Yes, that is it. 
 Now Hope, my dear girl, I must go. Don’t go out 
 to lunch to-morrow — I want you to give me some.” 
 
 With pleasure,” Hope answered. 
 
 She had crushed down the tears which had more 
 than once started to her eyes, but the subdued 
 storm had left its mark upon her pale face. Flossie 
 looked at her very kindly. 
 
 I have an idea that a way will be found,” she 
 said. Good-bye, my dear. I shall be here soon 
 after one to-morrow.” 
 
 And surely enough soon after the little clock on 
 the chimney-shelf struck one, she entered Hope’s 
 pretty drawing-room on the following day. 
 
 Flossie, I am sure you are ill,” Hope cried. 
 
 ‘‘ My dear,” Flossie answered — I have been to 
 Dillory, and I have got my death-warrant.” 
 
 Flossie ! ” 
 
 No, don’t look like that. I have more than 
 suspected it for several months past. Nothing can 
 be done, simply nothing. I made Dillory tell me 
 the truth — and you know how hard it is to get the 
 truth out of a doctor. Well, it’s the old trouble — 
 we all go the same way — lungs all to pieces and I’m 
 to go South at once. And now Hope, my dear, 
 don’t grieve for me — there are tears in your dear 
 eyes. God love and reward you for them, and He 
 will. I have had a good time and I have had to 
 face this possibility all my life — I am quite content 
 and happy now that it has come. Only — I dare 
 not face it alone — will you go with me ? ” 
 
 Yes,” said Hope, without an instant’s hesitation. 
 
 Then let Dick have the boy till then — he will 
 be so lonely, so wretched in that big house by him- 
 self. It’s a ghastly house, Hope — I arn thankful 
 to die elsewhere. Well, will you spare the boy to 
 him ? ” 
 
no 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 Yes,” cried Hope in accents of sharp distress. 
 
 I will do anything to please you, Flossie, any- 
 thing.” 
 
 So three days later when Adair was just finishing 
 his late breakfast, the door opened and little Eobin 
 came in. Tve come to stop. Father,” he said at 
 the top of his sweet shrill child’s voice. “ Mother 
 has gone away with Mrs. Adair, and here is a note 
 — and you’re to take great care of me and I’ve 
 brought Virtue too.” 
 
 Adair jumped up. You’ve come to stop?” he 
 exclaimed. ‘‘ Nonsense.” 
 
 It’s all in the note,” said Eobin confidently. 
 
 Adair tore it open, saw that it was in Flossie’s 
 handwriting and read it hastily — it was not long, 
 but it told a tale plainly enough. 
 
 Hope has consented to go South with me, dear 
 old Dick,” it said. ‘‘I have to go — you under- 
 stand ? It will not be for long and she sends you 
 the boy, with her love, to keep until the day break 
 and the shadows fiee away. 
 
 “ It’s the old trouble — Dr. Dillory will tell you 
 all. Grood-bye, dear old Dick. Think kindly in 
 days to come of your affectionate friend, 
 
 “ Flossie.” 
 
 THE END. 
 
LIST of WORKS by JOHN STRANGE WINTER 
 
 “ The author to whom we owe the most finished and faithful 
 rendering ever yet given of the character of the British soldier.* 
 — Mr. Buskin in the Daily Telegraphy January Vjthy 1888. 
 
 CAVALRY LIFE. 
 
 REGIMENTAL LEGENDS. 
 BOOTLES’ BABY. 
 
 HOUP-LA I 
 IN QUARTERS. 
 
 ON MARCH. 
 
 PI IIPK 
 
 ARMY SOCIETY. 
 
 GARRISON GOSSIP. 
 
 MIGNON’S SECRET. 
 
 THAT IMP! 
 
 MIGNON’S HUSBAND. 
 
 A SIEGE BABY. 
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A PUBLISHER. 
 BOOTLES’ CHILDREN. 
 
 BEAUTIFUL JIM. 
 
 MY POOR DICK. 
 
 HARVEST. 
 
 A LITTLE FOOL. 
 
 BUTTONS. 
 
 MRS. BOB. 
 
 DINNA FORGET. 
 
 FERRERS COURT. 
 
 HE WENT FOR A SOLDIER. 
 
 THE OTHER MAN’S WIFE. 
 
WORKS BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER. 
 
 ARMY SOCIETY: 
 
 LIFE IN A GARRISON TOWN. 
 
 In One Vol., Crown 8vo., Cloth, 6s. ; Boards, 2s, 
 
 “ The strength of the book lies in its sketches of life in a garrison 
 town, which are undeniably clever ... It is pretty clear that 
 Mr .Winter draws from life.” — St, James's Gazette^ July 17^^,1886. 
 
 “ This last work is named ‘ Army Society/ and very amusing the 
 life-like sketches are. For go, fun and originality, this new author 
 has no rival in his particular line.” 
 
 — Birmingham Weekly Mercury^ June \2th, 1886. 
 “ The pictures of life in a garrison town are inimitable . . , 
 
 The ‘ sidelights ’ are particularly good — crisp, concise, to the point ; 
 they leave nothing to add, nothing to detract. Altogether the 
 volume is full of interest, lively and humorous, and quite equal to the 
 author’s other charming books.” — Literary Worlds July 2nd^ 1886, 
 •‘We know of no books of military life which can compare with 
 Mr. Winter’s for a combination of perfect realism and romantic 
 flavour.” — The County Gentleman, August 1th, 1886. 
 
 “ ‘ Army Society ’ is a series of smart sketches, full of fun and 
 point, that may be accounted among some of the best work which 
 John Strange Winter has yet written.” 
 
 — Whitehall Review, June 2hth, 1886. 
 
 GARRISON GOSSIP 
 
 GATHERED IN BLANKHAMPTON. 
 
 (A Sequel to “Army Society.”) 
 
 In One Vol., Crown 8vo., Cloth, 2s. 6d ; also Picture Boards, 2s. 
 
 “ ‘Garrison Gossip’ may fairly rank with ‘Cavalry Life,’ and 
 the various other books with which Mr. Winter has so agreeably 
 beguiled our leisure hours.” — Saturday Review, April 2nd, 1887. 
 
 “The novel fully maintains the reputation which its author has 
 been fortunate enough to gain in a special line of his own.” 
 
 — Graphic, May 21^^, 1887. 
 
 “ The author wastes no time : he begins to be lively at once, and 
 having begun he does notallow himself even a momentary lapse into 
 flatness. — Academy, March \^th, 1887.” ^ 
 
 “The pages sparkle with good things, as heretofore — good 
 stories, manly men, harmless quips and cranks. Nothing is 
 wanting of the old style, which is so irresistibly connected with all 
 this author publishes.” — Whitehall Review, March Vjth, 1887. 
 
 “ The story, as its title suggests, is made up of gossip ; but if all 
 gossip were as entertaining, the race of bores would be extinct.” 
 
 — Scotsman, March 1th, 1887. 
 
 F. V. WHITE & CO., 31, Southampton Street, Strand. 
 
WORKS BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER; 
 
 A SIEGE BABY. 
 
 In One Vol., Crown 8vo., Cloth, 2s. 6d. ; Boards, 2s. 
 
 ** Either in jest or earnest this, like all its predecessors, is a 
 pleasant book for the winter fireside and the arm-chair.” 
 
 ^ Daily Telegra'pTi, November llthy 1887. 
 
 ** Mr. Winter is at his best in them The Indian 
 
 Mutiny gives him material for other sketches in the collection, and 
 more than one of them gains its effect from the fine and fresh por- 
 trayal of the feelings called into being by interest in babies. Mr, 
 Winter may be said to have made babies peculiarly his own.” 
 
 — Scotsman, Octoher^'lth, 1887. 
 
 “ This collection of tales will enhance John Strange Winter’s al- 
 ready high reputation as a writer of short stories. It is invidious 
 to make distinctions where all are good, but I must make special 
 mention of ‘ A Siege Baby,’ which is a dramatic and pathetic tale of 
 the Indian Mutiny.” — Lady's Pictorial, October 29^^, 1887. 
 
 “ The tales are all in the writer’s best style, and no further praise 
 could be accorded to them. Mr. Winter devotes as much attention 
 to his manner as he does to his matter, and what he writes bears 
 more than one reading — a severe test nowadays.” 
 
 — Court Journal, October 22nd, 1887. 
 
 BEAUTIFUL JIM 
 
 In One Vol., Crown 8vo., Cloth, 2s. 6d. ; Boards, 2s. 
 
 “ * Beautiful Jim ’ is as fresh and engaging a work as this 
 charming writer has produced, while the structure of its plot has 
 a peculiar strength which adds much to the effect of the story as 
 a whole .... The book deserves to be widely read, and will 
 enhance its author’s reputation.” — Scotsman, September 2Ath, 1888. 
 
 “ John Strange Winter is always made welcome on our drawing- 
 room tables and by the fireside of our homes, and * Beautiful Jim ’ 
 will take a place with previous popular portraits.” 
 
 — Life, October 4tth, 1888. 
 
 “ There is manly frankness, genuine feeling, and sprightly move- 
 ment in this story.” — St. James' Gazette, October IWi, 1888. 
 
 “ Blankhampton Town, with its slumbering cathedral, its prosy 
 society, and its rather bored military men in barracks, is not the 
 most fascinating subject, but John Strange Winter has imbued it 
 with a life and colour that at once makes it interesting to us. . . . 
 Simply yet ably told, ‘ Beautiful Jim ’ should interest many.’* 
 
 — Hawh, November 2^tli, 1888. 
 
 “ It is a most satisfactory book for an idle hour. The characters 
 walk and talk in a natural manner.*’ 
 
 — Vanity Fair, December \ht1i, 1888. 
 
 F.-V. WHITE & CO., 31, Southampton Street, Strand. 
 
WORKS BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER. 
 
 Small Crown 8vo., Paper Covers, Is. each ; Cloth, Is. 6d, each. 
 
 IN QUARTERS. , 
 
 “ * In Quarters * is one of those rattling tales of soldiers life 
 which the public have learned to thoroughly appreciate.” 
 
 — The Graphic y December Vlthy 1885. 
 
 ‘‘Will be received with pleasure by the entire English-speaking 
 public. ‘ In Quarters ’ is simply a mighty shilling’s worth of 
 amusement” — Sunday Times y December Qth, 1885, 
 
 ON MARCH. 
 
 “ This short story is characterised by Mr. Winter’s customary 
 truth in detail, humour, and pathos.” — Academy y April Vlthy 1886, 
 
 “ By publishing ‘ On March,’ Mr, J. S. Winter has added another 
 little gem to his well-known store of regimental sketches. The 
 story is written with humour and a deal of feeling.” 
 
 — Army and Navy Gazette y March 13^>^, 1886. 
 
 MIGNON’S SECRET. 
 
 ** In ‘ Mignon’s Secret ’ Mr. Winter has supplied a continuation 
 to the never-to-be-forgotten ‘ Booties’ Baby.’ . , . The story is 
 
 gracefully and touchingly told.” — John Bully December Wth, 1886. 
 
 “‘Mignon’s Secret’ deals with children’s character and their 
 influence on men of the world in a manner which cannot be too 
 highly spoken of.” — Sheffield Telegraphy November Vlthy 1886. 
 
 THAT IMP! 
 
 “ This charming little book is bright and breezy, and has the 
 ring of supreme truth about it.” — Vanity Fairy May 21st y 1887. 
 
 MIGNCN’S HUSBAND. 
 
 “ To say that the little story abounds in brightness and humour, 
 accompanied by an undertone of genuine feeling, is another way 
 of saying that it is written by ‘ John Strange Winter.’ ” — County 
 Gentlemany November 12th y 1887. 
 
 “ The dialogue is brisk and clever ; and the characterisation is 
 as crisp as when ‘ Booties’ Baby ’ first took the reading public by 
 storm.” — Bristol Observer y October 2^thy 1887. 
 
 BCCTLES’ CHILDREN. 
 
 “ Clean, healthy, and pure, without being the least bit tiresome or 
 mawkish.”— Stavy July lOthy 1888 . 
 
 “ Pearl and Maud are two of the most delightful girls in fiction — 
 next to Mignon .... In fact, the whole book is charming, and one 
 wonders how so much that is delightful can be compressed into such 
 small space.” — Glasgow Heraldy August l^thy 1888 . 
 
 F, V. WHITE & CO., 31, Southampton Street, Strand. 
 
WORKS BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER, 
 
 Small Crown 8vo., Paper Covers, Is. each; Cloth, Is. 6d. each. 
 
 MY POOR DICK. 
 
 “It is always with pleasure that we take up a story written by 
 this gifted author. We are certain to find something worth 
 reading. * My Poor Dick ’ is no exception to the rule. It is an 
 unpretentious little tale, but is worked out in an extremely 
 sympathetic manner.” — Topical Times ^ Nov enyiber 24^ A, 1888. 
 
 “ The little story is told with the simple patho^and naturalness 
 that distinguish the author of ‘ Booties’ Baby.’ ” 
 
 — Norwich ArguSy November VJthy 1888. 
 
 “ In some respects * My Poor Dick ’ is superior to ‘ Booties’ 
 Baby’ .... John Strange Winter must be congratulated on 
 having conclusively shown a thorough knowledge of people who 
 move in humble society.” — Figaro^ January 6th, 1889. 
 
 GONFESSlOIiS OF A PUBLISHER, 
 
 BEING THE 
 
 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF ABEL DEINKWATEK. 
 
 “One of the brightest tales of the season. Abel Drink- 
 water’s autobiography is written from a humorous point of 
 view ; yet here, as elsewhere, ‘ many a true word is spoken in jest.’ ” 
 — Morning Post, February 2*1 th, 1888. 
 
 “We confess to a feeling of regret that the work is so short. It 
 was so good that we should like to have read more of it. We see 
 for the first time how a pretty romance can even be evolved out of 
 the dry-as-dust routine of a publisher’s life and work.” 
 
 — Western Mercury, March \6th, 1888. 
 
 “ It is a capital little book of its sort, and one to be read.” 
 
 — Vanit'i^ Fair, March 31^^, 1888. 
 
 A LITTLE FOOL. 
 
 “ It would scarcely be possible to write a more charming 
 novelette than * A Little Pool,’ by the author of ‘Booties’ Baby.’ 
 Every page in the book is entertaining ; and the final turn of events 
 which enables the self-absorbed little coquette to point to her 
 sisters as the really mercenary members of the family, while she 
 herself poses as a spectacle of true disinterestedness, has about it a 
 subtle touch of irony worthy to be classed among the author’s best 
 effects in fiction.” — Academy, September 14ih, 1^9. 
 
 “ Everybody who takes up the story will read it through for the 
 sake of the girls, laugh heartily at its fine comedy, and enjoy it,” 
 — Scotsman, July \6th, 1889. 
 
 P. V. WHITE & CO., 31, Southampton Street, Strand. 
 
WORKS BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER 
 
 Small Crown 8yo, Paper Covers, Is, each ; Cloth, Is. 6d. each. 
 
 BUTTONS. 
 
 The story is charmingly told. While many of the characters are 
 but sketches, they are touched with a light hand, and are fresh 
 and lifelike. The whole story is bright, breezy, and healthy. If 
 short, it is undoubtedly sweet, and the best his pen has given us 
 since ‘Booties’ Baby.’ ” — Punchy November 2nd^ 1889. 
 
 “ The author has been even happier than usual in the description 
 of her present hero, ‘ Buttons,’ who strikes us as more successfully 
 depicted than any of the successors of the immortal Booties.” 
 
 — John Bull, December 1889. 
 
 FERRERS COURT. 
 
 “ It introduces its readers to Booties again, for which they will 
 be profoundly thankful, as for the freshness, good spirits, and 
 bright humour which animate the tale throughout. No reader of 
 this delightful novelist will be disappointed to learn that the love- 
 making of military men constitutes its chief interest.” 
 
 — Scotsman, July Ith^ 1890. 
 
 “Pearl and Maud Perrers are delightful to read about. . .^ . 
 
 The picture of life in a pleasant, genial, English country house is, 
 of course, well and amusingly described.” 
 
 — Queen, August ZOth^ 1890. 
 
 HE WENT FOR /r SOLDIER. 
 
 ‘ ‘ There is, thank Heaven ! no occasion for any nasty sarcastic 
 comment on the author of ‘ Booties’ Baby.’ Soldiers and children, 
 children and soldiers — she knows both classes, and can make them 
 talk as they talk, and act as they act. ‘ No such great matter,’ 
 says somebody ? Then let somebody go, not for a soldier but for a 
 reviewer, and see how often it is done.” 
 
 — George Saintsbury, in the Academy, November 22nd, 1890. 
 
 ‘ ‘ A charming little story, crisp as winter’s frost, and bright as 
 winter’s holly ; a tale in which there is much fidelity to barrack 
 life, and no little pathos in the picture.” 
 
 — Piccadilly, December \th, 1890. 
 
 “This is not a ‘shilling dreadful,’ but a shilling picture of 
 striking scenes in a soldier’s life. The colouring, the light and 
 shade, bespeak the possession of artistic gifts which many a 
 novelist might envy.” — Literary 0])inion, December, 1890. 
 
 F. V. WHITE & CO., 31, Southampton Street, Strand. 
 
WORKS BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER. 
 
 MRS. BOB. 
 
 In One Yol., Crown 8vo, Cloth, 2s. 6d. 
 
 ** Ever since the days when ‘Kegimental Legends ’ and ‘ Cavalry 
 Life ’ first appeared, any book bearing the name of John Strange 
 Winter has been welcome. , . . ‘ Mrs. Bob ’ will not disappoint the 
 lovers of that most lovable of Paladins whose name was Lucy, 
 although, unfortunately, neither Lucy nor Mignon cross its pages. 
 It is an amusing tale of life in Blankhampton, in which the last 
 daughter of ever-entertaining Mrs. Trafford is given in marriage.” 
 
 — Daily iVews, January 13^4, 1890. 
 
 “Such things are, of course, matters of taste ; but to our mind 
 the prolific pen of John Strange Winter has never produced anything 
 approaching, in point of excellence, the story of ‘ Mrs. Bob.’ The 
 scene is again laid among the society of the cathedral city of Blank- 
 hampton, and re-introduces the reader to various old acquaintances, 
 as well as to new ones ; and, while the old have improved in flavour, 
 both new and old reveal a capacity for comedy of a really high 
 order beyond any expectations which their introducer’s former 
 stories had hitherto raised. . . . Attention should justly be called 
 to the humorous sympathy which John Strange Winter knows how 
 to excite with the foibles and stratagems of a match-making mother 
 no less than with the pathetically perfect wifehood of the daughter 
 who was the last to hang upon her hands.” 
 
 — Graphic, December 21st, 1889. 
 
 “It will serve to keep the author’s readers in a state of thrilling 
 excitement from start to finish.” 
 
 — Morning Post, December 2^th, 1889. 
 
 “John Strange Winter’s new story, ‘Mrs. Bob,’ derives its 
 charm, like most of its author’s novels, from its light and free 
 treatment of a serious theme. . . . The story is told with a rare 
 knowledge of the character of women, and with an easy-going good 
 sense and good humour in the handling of the incidents, such as 
 make it far more attractive than any sketch of its plot can 
 indicate. It is not so merry as many of its author’s books ; but it 
 is interesting throughout, and will be widely read.” 
 
 — Scotsman, November 2hth, 1889. 
 
 “ ‘ Mrs. Bob ’ is as full of * go ’ and sparkle as any of its pre- 
 decessors. . . , The book is full of the smart things which the 
 author knows so well how to put into the mouths of her characters, 
 and her sarcastic sketches of various types of clergy are full of 
 humour. Plenty of piquant reflections upon men and women, and 
 the conventional shams and sillinesses of society, stimulate the 
 appetite ; and, whatever may be the opinion of a purely critical 
 reader of the book, no one can, at all events, complain of boredom. 
 Prom the first page to the last, all is bright and sparkling.” 
 
 — Court Journal, December 14ih, 1889. 
 
 F. V. WHITE & CO., 31, Southampton Street, Strand, 
 
WORKS BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER 
 
 THE OTHER MAN’S WIFE. 
 
 At all Libraries, in Two Vols. 
 
 ‘ ‘ This is one of the best, if not the best, novels yet produced 
 by this popular writer. The plot is highly dramatic, and the 
 interest thoroughly sustained. The pathos which crops up here 
 and there is genuine, and the love scenes are most delicately 
 handled. The tender passages never descend to common-place 
 twaddle or maudlin sentiment. The male characters are capitally 
 drawn. The first volume is particularly good, but the second is 
 
 still better There is a sparkle and a dash in the 
 
 composition that makes every chapter tell.” 
 
 — Public Ojpinion, March 20th, 1891. 
 
 “There can be but one opinion as to the ability of John Strange 
 Winter to interest her readers, and her new story, ‘ The Other 
 Man’s Wife,’ is a bright, breezy bit of work, with a delightful 
 hpro and a sweet heroine, despite the fact that she almost lets her 
 heart get the better of her wifely duty to a drunken brute. The 
 author is simply true to life in her portrait of Ethel Dennis, the 
 sorely-tried wife of a dissolute Major, old enough to be her father ; 
 and in carrying out her practice of refusing to paint the heroine 
 in colours so delicate and spotless that they have no resemblance 
 to the human woman of everyday life, she does not forget to 
 teach the entirely wholesome lesson that while a woman of blame- 
 less reputation is a beautiful thing, a woman of blameless life is 
 more beautiful still.” — Court Journal, March 2%th, 1891. 
 
 “It is safe to say that John Strange Winter’s reputation will 
 lose nothing from the publication of this novel, whereof the tone 
 is excellent and the literary workmanship is finished.” 
 
 — Pictorial World, March 2^th, 1891. 
 
 “ A capital novel all over is ‘The Other Man’s Wife,’ by John 
 Strange Winter. As in her previous works so in this, the gifted 
 authoress catches hold of the reader’s attention in the very first 
 page, and never lets go it until the last page is turned. The 
 writing too is vigorous and the characterisation strong. Mudie 
 will have to lay in an exceptionally large stock of the book, as it 
 is sure to be in great demand all through the spring and summer.” 
 
 — People, March 22nd, 1891. 
 
 “ It is written with life and spirit, is full of interesting situa- 
 tions, and it shows the author to be possessed of a keen and 
 observant mind.” — Sydney Mail. 
 
 “ ‘ The Other Man’s Wife ’ shows that the author* has not lost 
 her gift of simple pathos and smooth narration.” — Graphic. 
 
 “An excellently well-written story.” — Sheffield Telegraph, 
 
 F. V. WHITE & CO., 31, Southampton Street, Strand. 
 
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