moved restlessly.

"If I do not see you again"--with a hesitating voice unlike
himself--"I hope you will be very happy.... Meeting you has been a
great and unexpected pleasure."

"Thank you," was all she could trust herself to say.

And then Diana came into the room.

A moment later the other men returned, and they all said good-bye. And
when Carew shook hands with Meryl, he noticed that her hand was as
cold as ice and her cheeks as white as snow, and that she scarcely
raised her eyes to his face.

And wondering and fearing, he walked away into the darkness, with the
sense of a new shadow walking beside him--a shadow that had come to
stay, in spite of all his resolutions and strong endeavours, the
shadow of his love for the woman he had just left in silence and never
thought to see again.

XXI

A "HOARDING HUSTLING"

There was probably no family in Johannesburg better known or better
loved than that of Henry Pym, the millionaire. Even Aunt Emily was
something of a favourite, in spite of her peculiarities, perhaps a
little for the sake of the delightful entertaining that took place at
Hill Court. Diana was adored for her spirits, and Meryl was regarded
somewhat as a treasure Johannesburg had a right to be proud of.
Certain it was that if eventually she followed the example of her
American cousins and enriched an English peerage with her wealth, she
would hold her own amidst the loveliest and most charming of England's
peeresses. At the same time, though many perhaps hoped that she would
lead the way for the young South African heiresses, not many had much
belief that she would lead it in the particular fashion they hoped;
for there was ever that uncertain elusive quality about Meryl, that
suggestion of the visionary and dreamer, that betold a nature not very
likely to follow in any beaten path, or give overmuch value to the
advantages of a high alliance from a worldly point of view. It was
probable she would see things in quite a different light to the
majority and act for herself. Nevertheless Johannesburg hoped for the
best, and would have been pleased to number a peeress among her
daughters; if it were only to show the world, for one thing, that some
of South Africa's heiresses were every whit as refined and clever and
charming as America's, whatever may have been implied to the contrary
by scathing comments on Johannesburg's millionaires which have
appeared from time to time in varied guise.

Mr.