a great deal of pain, and most
of all at night, so that she scarcely ever gets more than half-an-hour
of sleep at a time, if that. What makes it worse, dear Richard, is that
she is so very unhappy. Sometimes she cries nearly through the whole
night. I try my best to keep her up, but I'm afraid her weakness has
much to do with it. But Kate is very well, I am glad to say, and the
children are very well too. Bertie is beginning to learn to read. He
often says he would like to see you. Thank you, dearest, for the money
and all your kindness, and believe that I shall think of you every
minute with much love. From yours ever and ever,

'EMMA VINE.'

It would be cruel to reproduce Emma's errors of spelling. Richard had
sometimes noted a bad instance with annoyance, but it was not that which
made him hurry to the end this morning with lowered brows. When he had
finished the letter he crumbled it up and threw it into the fire. It was
not heartlessness that made him do so: he dreaded to have these letters
brought before his eyes a second time.

He was also throwing the envelope aside, when he discovered that it
contained yet another slip of paper. The writing on this was not Emma's:
the letters were cramped and not easy to decipher.

'Dear Richard, come to London and see me. I want to speak to you, I must
speak to you. I can't have very long to live, and I _must_, _must_ see
you.

'JANE VINE.'

This too he threw into the fire. His lips were hard set, his eyes wide.
And almost immediately he prepared to leave the house.

It was early, but he felt that he must go to the Walthams'. He had
promised Mrs. Waltham to refrain from visiting the house for a week, but
that promise it was impossible to keep. Jane's words were ringing in his
ears: he seemed to hear her very voice calling and beseeching. So far
from changing his purpose, it impelled him in the course he had chosen.
There must and should be an end of this suspense.

Mrs. Waltham had just come downstairs from her conversation with Adela,
when she saw Mutimer approaching the door. She admitted him herself.
Surely Providence was on her side; she felt almost young in her
satisfaction.

Richard remained in the house about twenty minutes. Then he walked down
to the works as usual.

Shortly after his departure another visitor presented himself. This was
Mr. Wyvern. The vicar's walk in Hubert's company the evening before
had extended itself from point to point, till the t