r, Malham excused himself, and repaired to the great lounge of
the hotel. Anne had recovered her composure, and had embarked upon a
series of sentimental reminiscences which bade fair to drive him
demented. At all costs he must escape from her presence.

He seated himself at one of the small tables and automatically lifted an
evening paper. The first thing that met his eye was his own name at the
head of a column. "Marriage of Mr John Malham and Lady Anne Mulliner."
He crushed the sheet with a savage hand, and thrust it back on the
table, and as he did so another paragraph separated itself from the
context and smote upon his brain.

"Suicide of a High School Teacher. A well-dressed young woman was
drowned in the Serpentine at five o'clock this afternoon. The
life-saving apparatus was put in operation with all possible speed, but
when the body was recovered, life was found to be extinct. The deceased
had letters in her possession addressed to Miss Celia Bevan, 19
Wrothesley Street, Maida Vale. It is believed to be a case of
premeditated suicide."

Across the hall two young men were whispering to each other behind their
papers.

"That fellow over there, by the big palm,--that's Malham! Reading an
account of his own wedding. Clever fellow, but poor as a rat. Been
dragging along for years at the Bar, but that's all over now! With a
father-in-law like Lord Fluteson to give him a push, he'll soon romp
ahead. Jolly good day's work this has been for him!"

His companion looked across the lounge.

"Some fellows," he said grudgingly, "have all the luck!"

CHAPTER TEN.

THE GIRL WHO WISHED FOR WORK.

Norah Boyce was one of numerous young women who have seen better days.
During the seven years which had elapsed since she had bidden farewell
to a Parisian boarding-school, she had enjoyed all the sweets of
existence which fall to the lot of a girl whom nature has endowed with
beauty and a deceased parent with an income of five hundred pounds a
year. And then, of a sudden, catastrophe overtook her. Societies
collapsed, banks failed, labourers went on strike and brought down
dividends on railway investments. The five hundred pounds was reduced
to something considerably under one, and Norah spent her nights in
tears, and her days in studying the newspapers in search of "something
to do."

Being still young in experience, she started by spending a small fortune
on advertisements in which she expressed her