olm paid his
promised visit to the Wood House; but he only stayed two nights. The
place was too full of painful associations. Elizabeth's presence
haunted every room, the emptiness and desolation of the house oppressed
him like a nightmare, and though Dinah's gentleness and tact made
things more bearable during the day, at night he found himself unable
to sleep; and Dinah, who read his weary look aright, forbore to press
him to remain. "It is not good for him to be here," she said to
herself; "he is so kind and unselfish that he will not spare himself,
but I will not ask him to come again," and Dinah kept her word.

But they had much to discuss during those two days. There was now no
longer any talk of the Civil Service Examination for Cedric. At the end
of June he was to go abroad for six or eight months. A friend of
Malcolm's, a young barrister, who had also been crossed in love--a
sensible, straightforward fellow--was to accompany him. "He is sure to
like Dunlop," Malcolm observed, as he and Dinah paced the terrace
together in the sweet spring sunshine. "Charlie is a good-hearted
fellow, and one of the best companions I know, though he is a bit down
in the mouth just now, poor old chap."

"I think you said the lady jilted him?" asked Dinah sympathetically.

"Yes, and he is well rid of her, if we could only get him to believe
that. She was a handsome girl--I saw her once--but she came across an
American millionaire, and sent Charlie about his business. Oh, he will
get over it fast enough," as Dinah looked quite sorrowful; "when a
woman does that sort of thing, she just kills a man's love. Of course
he must suffer a bit--his pride is hurt as well as his heart--but in
two or three years he will fall in love again, and will live happy ever
after."

"Oh, how I hope Cedric will care for some nice girl by-and-bye,"
exclaimed Dinah earnestly; but Malcolm only smiled.

"You need have no doubt of that, my dear lady," he returned; "but you
must give him time to be off with the old love. That is why I am so
anxious that he and Miss Jacobi should not meet. You tell me that she
and Mrs. Richardson return to Sandy Hollow early in June?"

"Yes; Mrs. Godfrey told us that."

"Then the sooner he is out of England the better. In London one is
never sure of not coming across people." And then he rapidly sketched
out the details of the proposed trip, which was to include Germany,
Switzerland, the Austrian Tyrol, the Italian Lakes,