, Jane? Then I suppose he came to see you first?'

Prepared now for anything unexpected, feeling that the links between
himself and these young people were artificial, and that he could but
watch, as if from a distance, the course of their lives, his first
supposition was, that Sidney had again altered his mind. He spoke
coldly, and had little inclination for the interview.

'Yes,' Jane replied, 'he came to see me, but only to tell me that he is
going to be married.'

His wrinkled face slowly gathered an expression of surprise.

'He will tell you who it is; he will explain. But I wanted to speak to
you first. Grandfather, I was afraid yea might say something about me.
Will you--will you forget my foolishness? Will you think of me as you
did before? When he has spoken to you, you will understand why I am
content to put everything out of my mind, everything you and I talked
of. But I couldn't bear for him to know how I have disappointed you.
Will you let me be all I was to you before? Will you trust me again,
grandfather? You haven't spoken to him yet about me, have you?'

Michael shook his head.

'Then you will let it be as if nothing had happened? Grandfather--'

She bent beside him and took his hand. Michael looked at her with a
light once more in his eyes.

'Tell him to come. He shall hear nothing from me, Jane.'

'And you will try to forget it?'

'I wish nothing better. Tell him to come here, my child. When he's gone
we'll talk together again.'

The interview did not last long, and Sidney left the house without
seeing Jane a second time.

She would have promised anything now. Seeing that life had but one path
of happiness for her, the path hopelessly closed, what did it matter by
which of the innumerable other ways she accomplished her sad journey?
For an instant, whilst Sidney was still speaking, she caught a gleam of
hope in renunciation itself, the kind of strength which idealism is
fond of attributing to noble natures. A gleam only, and deceptive; she
knew it too well after the day spent by her grandfather's side,
encouraging, at the expense of her heart's blood, all his revived faith
in her. But she would not again give way. The old man should reap fruit
of her gratitude and Sidney should never suspect how nearly she had
proved herself unworthy of his high opinion.

She had dreamed her dream, and on awaking must be content to take up
the day's duties. Just in the same way, when she was a child at