or girl! poor girl!'

The allusion was to his wife; for presently he said: 'I can't see why
Harriet can't go. What's to prevent her?'

Evan gazed at him steadily. Death's levelling influence was in Evan's
mind. He was ready to say why, and fully.

Mr. Andrew arrested him with a sharp 'Never mind! Harriet does as she
likes. I'm accustomed to--hem! what she does is best, after all. She
doesn't interfere with my business, nor I with hers. Man and wife.'

Pausing a moment or so, Mr. Andrew intimated that they had better be
dressing for dinner. With his hand on the door, which he kept closed, he
said, in a businesslike way, 'You know, Van, as for me, I should be very
willing--only too happy--to go down and pay all the respect I could.' He
became confused, and shot his head from side to side, looking anywhere
but at Evan. 'Happy now and to-morrow, to do anything in my power, if
Harriet--follow the funeral--one of the family--anything I could do:
but--a--we 'd better be dressing for dinner.' And out the enigmatic
little man went.

Evan partly divined him then. But at dinner his behaviour was perplexing.
He was too cheerful. He pledged the Count. He would have the Portuguese
for this and that, and make Anglican efforts to repeat it, and laugh at
his failures. He would not see that there was a father dead. At a table
of actors, Mr. Andrew overdid his part, and was the worst. His wife could
not help thinking him a heartless little man.

The poor show had its term. The ladies fled to the boudoir sacred to
grief. Evan was whispered that he was to join them when he might, without
seeming mysterious to the Count. Before he reached them, they had talked
tearfully over the clothes he should wear at Lymport, agreeing that his
present foreign apparel, being black, would be suitable, and would serve
almost as disguise, to the inhabitants at large; and as Evan had no
English wear, and there was no time to procure any for him, that was
well. They arranged exactly how long he should stay at Lymport, whom he
should visit, the manner he should adopt toward the different
inhabitants. By all means he was to avoid the approach of the gentry. For
hours Evan, in a trance, half stupefied, had to listen to the Countess's
directions how he was to comport himself in Lymport.

'Show that you have descended among them, dear Van, but are not of them.
Our beautiful noble English poet expresses it so. You have come to pay
the last mortal duties, whic