they admitted that the report that Mr. Holland had been thrown over by
the lady who had promised to marry him had given a jerk forward to the
sales; but when Mr. George Holland had been so idiotically blind to his
best interests and (incidentally) the best interests of his publishers,
as to contradict this suggestion of incipient martyrdom, and thus an
excellent advertisement had been lost, and everyone was, in a week or
two, talking about "The Quest of the Meteor-Bird," while only a few
continued shaking their heads over "Revised Versions."

Meantime, however, Mr. Courtland thought it well to call upon Mr. Ayrton
in order to thank him for his kindness in replying in the House of
Commons so effectively to the questions put to the various ministers by
Mr. Apthomas; and Mr. Ayrton had asked Mr. Courtland to dinner, and Mr.
Courtland had accepted the invitation, Miss Ayrton begging Mrs. Linton
to be of the party, and Mrs. Linton yielding to her petition without
demur.

CHAPTER XVI.

WOULD IT BE WELL WITH MY HUSBAND?

It was on their way back from this little dinner-party that Mr.
Courtland confessed to Ella Linton that he had come to think of her
dearest friend as a most charming and original girl; she had never once
referred to his achievements in New Guinea, nor had she asked him to
write his name in her birthday book. Yes, she was not as other girls.

"I'm so delighted to hear you say so much," said Ella. "Oh, Bertie! why
not make yourself happy with a sweet girl such as she, and give no more
thought to such absurdities as you have been indulging in? Believe me,
you don't know so well as I do in what direction your happiness lies."

"I don't know anything about happiness," said he. "I don't seem to care
much, either. When I made up my mind to find the meteor-bird, don't you
suppose that there were many people who told me that, even if it was
found, it was quite unlikely that it would be more succulent eating than
a Dorking chicken? I'm sure they were right. You see, I didn't go to New
Guinea in search of a barndoor fowl. I don't want domestic happiness, I
don't want anything but you--you are my meteor-bird. I found, after my
first visit to New Guinea, that it was impossible for me to rest until I
had found the meteor-bird. I have found that it is impossible for me to
live without you, my beloved."

"You will have to learn to live without me," said she, laying her hand
upon his. They had now reached her hous