ly he cried, 'I can't do it.' Then my heart
leapt, because I thought he meant he couldn't marry Janie Iver. I looked
up at him and I suppose I said something. He caught me by the arm. I
thought he was going to kiss me, Mina. And then--then he told me that
Blent was mine--not himself but Blent--that I was Lady Tristram, and
he--Harry Nothing--he said, Harry Nothing-at-all."

"Oh, if you'd tell him that!" cried Mina.

"Tell him!" She smiled in superb scorn. "I'd die before I'd tell him. I
could go and offer myself to him just because he didn't know. And he'll
never know now. Only now you can understand that Blent is--Ah, that it's
all bitterness to me! And you know now why he must never come. Yes, as
you say, it all ends now."

Mina came and knelt down by her, caressing her hand. Cecily shivered a
little and moved with a vague air of discomfort.

"But I believe he cares for you," Mina whispered.

"He might have cared for me perhaps. But Blent's between."

Blent was between. The difficulty seemed insuperable--at least where you
were dealing with Tristrams. Mina could not but acknowledge that. For
Harry, having nothing to give, would take nothing. And Cecily, having
much, was thereby debarred from giving anything. And if that miracle of
which Mina had spoken came about, the parts would be exchanged but the
position would be no more hopeful. The Tristrams not only brought about
difficult situations--as Addie had done here--but by being what they
were they insured that the difficulties should not be overcome. Yet at
this moment Mina could not cry, "Oh, you Tristrams!" any more. Her
sorrow was too great and Cecily too beautiful. She seemed again to see
Addie, and neither she nor anybody else could have been hard to Addie.
She covered Cecily's hands with kisses as she knelt by her side.

"Yes, this is the end," said Cecily. "Now, Mina, for Blent and her
ladyship!" She gave a bitter little laugh. "And good-by to Cousin
Harry!"

"Oh, Cecily----!"

"No, he shall never come to Blent."

How would Harry take this decree of banishment? Mina looked up into her
friend's eyes, wondering. But did not the dinner-party at Mr Disney's
answer that?

XXIV

AFTER THE END OF ALL

"MY DEAR COUSIN--I shall faithfully obey your commands--Yours very
truly, H. A. F. TRISTRAM." And below--very formally--"THE LADY TRISTRAM
OF BLENT."

To write it took him no more than a moment--even though he wrote first,
"The commands of the