in the morning to keep
an important appointment. Good-night, Lady Durwent.'

Amidst subdued but earnest good wishes from the peer and his wife, he
wished them good-bye and turned to Elise.

'Good-night,' he said, his face flaming suddenly red.

'Good-night,' she answered, taking his proffered hand.

'I shall go with you,' said Lord Durwent.

The two men walked through the corridors, which were growing quieter as
the night advanced, and, with another exchange of farewells, Selwyn
went out into the dark.

He was weak from the ordeal through which he had passed, and both his
mind and his body were bordering on exhaustion. He called to the
sleeping driver, who in turn roused the horse from a similar condition,
but just as the wheels grinding on the gravel were opposite him Selwyn
heard the door open and the rustle of skirts.

'Austin!' cried Elise, running through the dark.

He almost stumbled as he went towards her, and caught her arms in his
hands.

'I didn't want you to go,' she said breathlessly, 'without saying
thanks. If Boy-blue had really been shot as they said, I--I'----

She did not finish the sentence, but clasping his hand, pressed it
twice to her burning lips.

'Elise,' he cried brokenly--but she had freed herself and was making
for the door.

No longer weary, but with every artery of his body on fire with
uncontrollable love for her, he intercepted the girl. 'Elise,' he
cried, 'I thought I could go from here and carry my heart-hunger with
me--but now I can't. I can't do it.'

'You went away to America.' Her flashing eyes held his in a burning
reproach. 'You did not need me then--and you don't now.'

'But--you didn't care? You never came back to the hospital, and I
wrote to you every day. Tell me, Elise, did you really care--a little?'

'Yes, I did--more than I would admit to myself. But you didn't. All
you could think of was going back to America.'

'But, my dearest'--his heart was throbbing with a tumultuous joy--'if I
had only known. There was so much work for me to do in America'----

'You will always have work to do. You don't need me. I shouldn't have
come out to-night. Please let me go.'

'Then you don't care--now?'

'No. You have your work to do still. You said yourself that we come
of different worlds'----

'Elise, my darling'--he caught her hands in his and forced her towards
him--'what does that matter--what can anything matter when we need each
other so mu