along the road, seeing and thinking of nothing but
Lucia. There was one chance, they might not yet have left Canada. But
then that ship, and the curious sense of Lucia's nearness which he had
felt when they passed it; she must have been on board! He felt as if he
should go mad when he came to his father's gate and saw all looking just
as usual, quite calm and peaceful under the broad wintry sunshine. He
had only just sense enough at the very last minute to remember that his
father was an invalid to whom the joy of his coming might be a dangerous
shock. As he thought of this he turned round the corner of the house,
and in a moment walked into the kitchen where Mrs. George, the old
housekeeper, was busy washing up the breakfast-things.

"Law, Mr. Maurice!" cried Mrs. George, and dropped her teacup and her
cloth together--happily both on the table.

Coming into the familiar room, and seeing the familiar face, brought the
young man a little to himself. He held his impatience in check while he
received Mrs. George's welcome, answered her questions, and asked some
in return. Then he sent her in to tell his father of his arrival, and
began to walk up and down the kitchen while she was away.

In a minute or two she came out of the sitting-room, and he went in. Mr.
Leigh had had his own troubled thoughts lately, but he forgot them all
when he saw his son. Just at first there was only the sudden agitating
joy of the meeting--the happiness of seeing Maurice so well--so
thoroughly himself and yet improved--of seeing him at home again; but
then came trouble.

"So they are gone?" he said almost interrupting the first greetings, and
the old man instantly knew that all his fancies had been a mistake, and
that Maurice had come back to find Lucia.

And they were gone; and he himself had been a coward and a traitor, and
had distrusted his own son and let them go away distrusting him! He saw
it now too late. A painful embarrassment seized him.

"Yes," he said hesitatingly. "They went a week ago."

"By New York?"

"Yes."

"In the 'Atalanta' for Havre?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"I did not know. I only guessed. Where are they gone?"

"I do not know. Mrs. Costello said their plans were so uncertain that
she could not tell me."

"Yet I should have thought, sir, that so old a friend as you might have
had a right to be told what her plans were?"

"She told no one--except that they would not stay long in any one place
at presen