about the room. "I
told you he'd been asking after me."

Ida seemed all at once to awake from a dream. She uttered a long "Ah!"
under her breath, and for a moment looked at the girl like one who is
struck with an unexpected explanation. Then she turned away to the
window, and again gazed up at the blue sky, standing so for nearly a
minute.

"Are you engaged to-night?" Sally asked presently.

"No; will you sit with me?"

"You're not feeling very well to-day, are you?"

"I think not," replied Ida, passing her hand over her forehead. "I've
been thinking of going out of London for a few days, perhaps to the
seaside."

"Go to Weymouth!" cried Sally, delighted at the thought. "Go and see my
people, and tell un how I'm getting on. They'll make you hide with un
all the time you're there, s'nough. It isn't a big house, but it's
comfortable, and see if our mother wouldn't look after you! It's three
weeks since I wrote; if I don't mind there'll be our father up here
looking after I. Now, do go!"

"No, it's too far. Besides, if I go, I shall want to be quite alone."

On the following evening Waymark was expected. At his last visit he had
noticed that Ida was not in her usual spirits. To-night he saw that
something was clearly wrong, and when Ida spoke of going to the
seaside, he strongly urged her to do so.

"Where should you go to?" he asked.

"I think to Hastings. I went there once, when I was a child, with my
mother--I believe I told you. I had rather go there than anywhere else."

"I feel the need of a change myself," he said, a moment after, and
without looking at her. "Suppose I were to go to Hastings, too--at the
same time that you're there--would you dislike it?"

She merely shook her head, almost indifferently. She did not care to
talk much to-night, and frequently nodded instead of replying with
words.

"But--you would rather I didn't?" he urged.

"No, indeed," still in the same indifferent way. "I should have
company, if I found it dull."

"Then let us go down by the same train--will you, Ida?"

As far as she remembered, it was the first time that he had ever
addressed her thus by her name. She looked up and smiled slightly.

"If you like," was her answer.

CHAPTER XVII

THE MISSING YEARS

"Why shouldn't life be always like this?" said Waymark, lying on the
upper beach and throwing pebbles into the breakers, which each moment
drew a little further hack and needed a little extra exertion