ings nor about--about what happens on that
sort of occasion, you know. Only if it hadn't been for Miss Driver, I
couldn't have bucked myself up to it, you know. Taking away her
friend--leaving her all alone again, too!" he paused a moment. "I tell
you I did think of that," he added rather vehemently.

"Most men wouldn't have thought about that at all--perhaps oughtn't to
have."

"Ah, but then what she is to both of us! Well, it went right, Austin, it
went right, by Jove!"

His voice was exalted to the skies of triumph. In an instant it dropped
to the pit of dismay. "And now I've got to tell the governor!"

"All this has happened thousands of times before," I ventured to remark
urbanely, as I filled my pipe and watched his restless striding up and
down.

That brought him to a stand--and cooled him into the bargain. "Not
quite," he said. "Not quite, Austin." His voice had become more quiet.
"You must see that there are elements in this case which--which make it
a bit different? My father's been a good friend to me. Things aren't
very flourishing with us, as I daresay you know. But I've always had
everything--and I've spent all I had, too. The election was a squeeze
for him; of course he wouldn't let me take any subscription--it was the
honor of the family. He thought of putting things straight himself
once--you know how. He'd sooner die than do that now. I'm doing what's
pretty nearly as bad to his thinking--and not putting things straight at
all! I daresay you don't sympathize with all this, but I've been brought
up to think that there's such a thing as loyalty to the family--and not
to be ashamed of it. Well, I've cut all that adrift. I couldn't help it.
But I don't know whether we can go on. It may mean"--he threw out his
hands--"a general break-up!"

"But you're set on it?" I asked.

"Isn't it a good deal too late to talk about that? When I've tried to
make her love me--and--and she does?"

"Yes, it's late in the day now. You must go to your father."

"I think I'd sooner be taken home to him with a bullet in my head."

"You'll find it won't be quite so bad as you think. Bad, but not quite
so bad, you know."

"Ah, you don't allow for--" He stopped. "Well, you remember Hatcham
Ford?"

"It seems rather long ago, Lacey."

"Not to him: he broods. If only she wasn't----!"

"'Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo!'"

"That didn't end so deuced happily, did it?"

"Only because Romeo got back at the wrong