lf being at Bournemouth. After her letter
of gratitude to Crewe she had ceased to correspond with him; she did not
trouble to acquaint him with Horace's engagement; and when Crewe,
having heard the news from his partner, ventured to send her a letter of
congratulation, Mrs. Damerel replied in two or three very civil but cold
sentences. Back in London, she did not invite the man of projects to
call upon her. The status she had lost when fears beset her must now be
recovered. Let Crewe cherish a passion for her if he liked, but let him
understand that social reasons made it laughably hopeless.

Horace was to come up to London in the third week of December, and to be
married on New Year's Day; the honeymoon would be spent at Ventnor, or
somewhere thereabout. Afraid to lose sight of her relative for more than
a week or two, Mrs. Damerel had already been twice to Bournemouth, and
now she decided to go for a third time, just to talk quietly over the
forthcoming event, and, whether Horace broached the subject or not, to
apprise him of the straits into which she was drifting. Unannounced
by letter, she reached Bournemouth early in the afternoon, and went
straight to Horace's lodgings. The young man had just finished luncheon,
and, all things considered, including the fact that it was a remarkably
bright and warm day for the time of year, he might have been expected to
welcome Mrs. Damerel cheerfully. Yet on seeing her his countenance
fell; he betrayed an embarrassment which the lady noted with anxious
suspicion.

'Aren't you glad to see me, dear boy?' she began, with a kiss upon his
cheek.

'Yes--oh yes. I never dreamt of your appearing just now, that was all.'

'I couldn't resist the temptation. Such a morning in London! Almost as
fine as it is here. And how is your cough?'

Even as she made the inquiry, he answered it by coughing very badly.

'I don't think this place suits you, Horace,' said Mrs. Damerel gravely.
'You're not imprudent, I hope? Don't go out after dark?'

Oh, it was nothing, Horace maintained; for several days he had hardly
coughed at all. But with every word he uttered, Mrs. Damerel became more
convinced of something unusual in his state of mind; he could not keep
still, and, in trying to put himself at ease, assumed strange postures.

'When did you hear from Winifred?' she asked.

'Yesterday--no, the day before.'

He shrank from her scrutiny, and an expression of annoyance began to
disturb his fea