he had
been coming to the house he had told himself that his coming would
be,--could be of no use. And yet he was disappointed with the result
of his visit, although she had spoken to him so sweetly.

"I suppose you'll be gone when I come back?" he said.

"We shall be here a month," said the squire.

"I shall be back long before that, I hope," said Johnny. "Good-by,
sir. Good-by, Dale. Good-by, Lily." And he put out his hand to her.

"Good-by, John." And then she added, almost in a whisper. "I think
you are very, very right to go." How could he fail after that to hope
as he walked home that she might still relent. And she also thought
much of him, but her thoughts of him made her cling more firmly than
ever to the two words. She could not bring herself to marry him; but,
at least, she would not break his heart by becoming the wife of any
one else. Soon after this Bernard Dale went also. I am not sure that
he had been well pleased at seeing John Eames become suddenly the
hero of the hour. When a young man is going to perform so important
an act as that of marriage he is apt to think that he ought to be the
hero of the hour himself--at any rate among his own family.

Early on the next morning Lily was taken by her uncle to call upon
Mrs. Thorne, and to see Emily Dunstable. Bernard was to meet them
there, but it had been arranged that they should reach the house
first. "There is nothing so absurd as these introductions," Bernard
had said. "You go and look at her, and when you've had time to look
at her, then I'll come!" So the squire and Lily went off to look at
Emily Dunstable.

"You don't mean to say that she lives in that house?" said Lily, when
the cab was stopped before an enormous mansion in one of the most
fashionable of the London squares.

"I believe she does," said the squire.

"I never shall be able to speak to anybody living in such a house as
that," said Lily. "A duke couldn't have anything grander."

"Mrs. Thorne is richer than half the dukes," said the squire. Then the
door was opened by a porter, and Lily found herself within the hall.
Everything was very great, and very magnificent, and, as she thought,
very uncomfortable. Presently she heard a loud jovial voice on the
stairs. "Mr. Dale, I'm delighted to see you. And this is your niece
Lily. Come up, my dear. There is a young woman upstairs, dying to
embrace you. Never mind the umbrella. Put it down anywhere. I want
to have a look at you, becaus