Genre Romance. Page - 16

easily expelled, and had dyed with blackness the walls towhich, bat-like, it had clung, these tapers served but ill tolight up the gloomy hangings, and seemed to throw yet darkershadows into the hollows of the deep-wrought cornice. All thefurther portions of the room lay shrouded in a mystery whosedeepest folds were gathered around the dark oak cabinet which Inow approached with a strange mingling of reverence andcuriosity. Perhaps, like a geologist, I was about to turn up tothe light some of

e with you. The railway last night for twenty miles back was held up for State purposes. We none of us know why, and it doesn't do to be too curious over here, but they have an idea that you are either a journalist or a spy.""Civis Britannicus sum!" the boy answered, with a laugh. "It doesn't quite mean what it used to, sir," the man answered quietly. CHAPTER II AT THE CAFÉ MONTMARTRE Exactly a week later, at five minutes after midnight, Guy Poynton, in evening dress,

For the time being she raised her eyes and looked into LordBracondale's, and something told her they were the nicest eyes she hadever seen in this world.Then when a voluble French count had rushed up, with garrulous apologiesfor being late, the party was complete, and they swept into therestaurant. Theodora sat between the Western millionaire and the Russian Prince, butbeyond--it was a round table, only just big enough to hold them--cameher hostess and Lord Bracondale, and two or three times at

ction?--notfor publication, of course.""I should suppose not," said Ridley significantly. "For a Divine hewas--remarkably free." "The Pump in Neville's Row, for example?" enquired Mr. Pepper. "Precisely," said Ambrose. Each of the ladies, being after the fashion of their sex, highly trainedin promoting men's talk without listening to it, could think--about theeducation of children, about the use of fog sirens in an opera--withoutbetraying herself.

Bretton's side; a mug of milk stood before her, a morsel of bread filled her hand, which lay passive on the table-cloth: she was not eating."How we shall conciliate this little creature," said Mrs. Bretton to me, "I don't know: she tastes nothing, and by her looks, she has not slept." I expressed my confidence in the effects of time and kindness. "If she were to take a fancy to anybody in the house, she would soon settle; but not till then," replied Mrs. Bretton.

during winter darkness, tempests, and mists. Then Egdon was aroused to reciprocity; for the storm was its lover, and the wind its friend. Then it became the home of strange phantoms; and it was found to be the hitherto unrecognized original of those wild regions of obscurity which are vaguely felt to be compassing us about in midnight dreams of flight and disaster, and are never thought of after the dream till revived by scenes like this.It was at present a place perfectly accordant with man's

The congregation of St. John's assembled on a Sunday morning as befitted its importance and dignity. Families arrived, or arrived by two or three representatives, and proceeded with due solemnity to their private pews. No one, of course, exchanged greetings on the way up the church, but every lady became aware, not only of the other ladies present, but of what each wore. A sidesman, with an air of portentous gravity, as one who, in opening doors, performed an office more on behalf of the Deity

was turned to other objects; namely, to wonderful slave women who were waiting for the bathers. Two of them, Africans, resembling noble statues of ebony, began to anoint their bodies with delicate perfumes from Arabia; others, Phrygians, skilled in hairdressing, held in their hands, which were bending and flexible as serpents, combs and mirrors of polished steel; two Grecian maidens from Kos, who were simply like deities, waited as vestiplicæ, till the moment should come to put statuesque folds

d is a mother apiece.I plunged into this thing lightly enough, partly because you were too persuasive, and mostly, I honestly think, because that scurrilous Gordon Hallock laughed so uproariously at the idea of my being able to manage an asylum. Between you all you hypnotized me. And then of course, after I began reading up on the subject and visiting all those seventeen institutions, I got excited over orphans, and wanted to put my own ideas into practice. But now I'm aghast at finding myself