a firm of
advertising agents in the City; nothing to boast of, unfortunately, and
remunerative only in the way of commission; but he saw his way to
better things.

'Jane, my girl,' he continued, averting his eyes as if in emotion, 'I
don't know how you and me are going to show our gratitude for all this
kindness, I'm sure. I hope you haven't got so used to it that you think
there's no need to thank your grandfather?'

The girl and the old man exchanged a look. Joseph sighed, and began to
speak of another subject in a tone of cheery martyrdom.

Jane herself had not been quite so joyous as was her wont since the
occurrence that caused her to take a new view of her position in the
world. She understood that her grandfather regarded the change very
gravely, and in her own heart awoke all manner of tremulous
apprehensions when she tried to look onward a little to the
uncertainties of the future. Forecasts had not hitherto troubled her;
the present was so rich in satisfactions that she could follow the bent
of her nature and live with no anxiety concerning the unknown. It was a
great relief to her to be assured that the long-standing plans for the
holiday would suffer no change. The last week was a time of impatience,
resolutely suppressed. On the Saturday afternoon Sidney was to meet
them at Liverpool Street. Would anything happen these last few
days--this last day--this last hour? No; all three stood together on
the platform, and their holiday had already begun.

Over the pest-stricken regions of East London, sweltering in sunshine
which served only to reveal the intimacies of abomination; across miles
of a city of the damned, such as thought never conceived before this
age of ours; above streets swarming with a nameless populace, cruelly
exposed by the unwonted light of heaven; stopping at stations which it
crushes the heart to think should be the destination of any mortal; the
train made its way at length beyond the outmost limits of dread, and
entered upon a land of level meadows, of hedges and trees, of crops and
cattle. Michael Snowdon was anxious that Jane should not regard with
the carelessness of familiarity those desolate tracts from which they
were escaping. In Bethnal Green he directed her attention with a
whispered word to the view from each window, and Jane had learnt well
to understand him. But, the lesson over, it was none of his purpose to
spoil her natural mood of holiday. Sidney sat opposite her, and