he eyes of the lady of his love, it must be presumed that
he did so with some hope of success. In that hope he was altogether
betrayed. When he came and confessed his fraud about the money,
it must be supposed that in doing so he felt that he was lowering
himself in the estimation of her whom he desired to win for his wife.
But, had he only known it, he thereby took the most efficacious step
towards winning her esteem. The gloves had been nearly fatal to him;
but those words,--"I feel it so that I can't tell you," redeemed the
evil that the gloves had done. He went away, however, saying nothing
more then, and failing to strike while the iron was hot.

Some six weeks after this Mrs Stumfold called on Miss Mackenzie,
making a most important visit. But it should be first explained,
before the nature of that visit is described, that Miss Mackenzie had
twice been to Mrs Stumfold's house since the evening of Miss Todd's
party, drinking tea there on both occasions, and had twice met Mr
Maguire. On the former occasion they two had had some conversation,
but it had been of no great moment. He had spoken nothing then of
the pleasures of love, nor had he made any allusion to the dove-like
softness of women. On the second meeting he had seemed to keep aloof
from her altogether, and she had begun to tell herself that that
dream was over, and to scold herself for having dreamed at all--when
he came close up behind and whispered a word in her ear.

"You know," he said, "how much I would wish to be with you, but I
can't now."

She had been startled, and had turned round, and had found herself
close to his dreadful eye. She had never been so close to it before,
and it frightened her. Then again he came to her just before she
left, and spoke to her in the same mysterious way:

"I will see you in a day or two," he said, "but never mind now;" and
then he walked away. She had not spoken a word to him, nor did she
speak a word to him that evening.

Miss Mackenzie had never before seen Mrs Stumfold since her first
visit of ceremony, except in that lady's drawing-room, and was
surprised when she heard the name announced. It was an understood
thing that Mrs Stumfold did not call on the Stumfoldians unless she
had some great and special reason for doing so,--unless some erring
sister required admonishing, or the course of events in the life of
some Stumfoldian might demand special advice. I do not know that any
edict of this kind had actua