n thinking of her past, the latter when thinking of the days to
come. While she walked thus unconscious of the streets, and their groups
of other wayfarers, she saw Christopher emerge from a door not many paces
in advance, and close it behind him: he stood for a moment on the step
before descending into the road.

She could not, even had she wished it, easily check her progress without
rendering the chance of his perceiving her still more certain. But she
did not wish any such thing, and it made little difference, for he had
already seen her in taking his survey round, and came down from the door
to her side. It was impossible for anything formal to pass between them
now.

'You are not at the concert, Mr. Julian?' she said. 'I am glad to have a
better opportunity of speaking to you, and of asking for your sister.
Unfortunately there is not time for us to call upon her to-day.'

'Thank you, but it makes no difference,' said Julian, with somewhat sad
reserve. 'I will tell her I have met you; she is away from home just at
present.' And finding that Ethelberta did not rejoin immediately he
observed, 'The chief organist, old Dr. Breeve, has taken my place at the
concert, as it was arranged he should do after the opening part. I am
now going to the Cathedral for the afternoon service. You are going
there too?'

'I thought of looking at the interior for a moment.'

So they went on side by side, saying little; for it was a situation in
which scarcely any appropriate thing could be spoken. Ethelberta was the
less reluctant to walk in his company because of the provocation to
skittishness that Lord Mountclere had given, a provocation which she
still resented. But she was far from wishing to increase his jealousy;
and yet this was what she was doing, Lord Mountclere being a perturbed
witness from behind of all that was passing now.

They turned the corner of the short street of connection which led under
an archway to the Cathedral Close, the old peer dogging them still.
Christopher seemed to warm up a little, and repeated the invitation. 'You
will come with your sister to see us before you leave?' he said. 'We
have tea at six.'

'We shall have left Melchester before that time. I am now only waiting
for the train.'

'You two have not come all the way from Knollsea alone?'

'Part of the way,' said Ethelberta evasively.

'And going back alone?'

'No. Only for the last five miles. At least that was the arr