thus destitute! Feeling strongly about it, Irene
begged her aunt, when next she wrote to Odessa, to give Piers, from
her, a message of friendly encouragement; not, of course, a message
that necessarily implied knowledge of his story, but one that would
help him with the assurance of his being always kindly remembered by
friends in London.

Six months after came the little poem, which Irene, without purposing
it, learnt by heart.

A chapter of pure romance; one which, Irene felt, could not possibly
have any relation to her normal life. And perhaps because she felt.
that so strongly, perhaps because her conscience warned her against the
danger of still seeming to encourage a lover she could not dream of
marrying, perhaps because these airy nothings threw into stronger
relief the circumstances which environed her, she forthwith made up her
mind to go on the long journey with her father and Arnold Jacks. Mrs.
Hannaford did not fail to acquaint Piers Otway with the occurrence.

And those two months of companionship told in Arnold's favour. Jacks
was excellent in travel; he had large experience, and showed to
advantage on the highways of the globe. No more entertaining companion
during the long days of steamship life; no safer guide in unfamiliar
lands. His personality made a striking contrast with the robustious
semi-civilisation of the colonists with whom Irene became acquainted;
she appreciated all the more his many refinements. Moreover, the
respectful reception he met with could not but impress her; it gave
reality to what Miss Derwent sometimes laughed at, his claim to be a
force in the great world. Then, that eternal word "Empire" gained
somewhat of a new meaning. She joked about it, disliking as much as
ever its baser significance but she came to understand better the
immense power it represented. On that subject, her father was emphatic.

"If," remarked Dr. Derwent once, "if our politics ever fall into the
hands of a stock-jobbing democracy, we shall be the hugest force for
evil the poor old world has ever known."

"You think," said Irene, "that one can already see some danger of it?"

"Well, I think so sometimes. But we have good men still, good men."

"Do you mind telling me," Miss Derwent asked, "whether our
fellow-traveller seems to you one of them?"

"H'm! On the whole, yes. His faults are balanced, I think, by his
aristocratic temper. He is too proud consciously to make dirty
bargains. High-handed, of