ds
him, literally and exactly, what his training has left him, in the
presence of any temptation small or great--a defenseless man.

Geoffrey returned to the cottage. The servant stopped him in the
passage, to ask at what time he wished to dine. Instead of answering, he
inquired angrily for Mrs. Dethridge. Mrs. Dethridge not come back.

It was now late in the afternoon, and she had been out since the early
morning. This had never happened before. Vague suspicions of her, one
more monstrous than another, began to rise in Geoffrey's mind. Between
the drink and the fever, he had been (as Julius had told him) wandering
in his mind during a part of the night. Had he let any thing out in that
condition? Had Hester heard it? And was it, by any chance, at the bottom
of her long absence and her notice to quit? He determined--without
letting her see that he suspected her--to clear up that doubt as soon as
his landlady returned to the house.

The evening came. It was past nine o'clock before there was a ring at
the bell. The servant came to ask for the key. Geoffrey rose to go to
the gate himself--and changed his mind before he left the room. _Her_
suspicions might be roused (supposing it to be Hester who was waiting
for admission) if he opened the gate to her when the servant was there
to do it. He gave the girl the key, and kept out of sight.

* * * * *

"Dead tired!"--the servant said to herself, seeing her mistress by the
light of the lamp over the gate.

"Dead tired!"--Geoffrey said to himself, observing Hester suspiciously
as she passed him in the passage on her way up stairs to take off her
bonnet in her own room.

"Dead tired!"--Anne said to herself, meeting Hester on the upper floor,
and receiving from her a letter in Blanche's handwriting, delivered to
the mistress of the cottage by the postman, who had met her at her own
gate.

Having given the letter to Anne, Hester Dethridge withdrew to her
bedroom.

Geoffrey closed the door of the drawing-room, in which the candles were
burning, and went into the dining-room, in which there was no light.
Leaving the door ajar, he waited to intercept his landlady on her way
back to her supper in the kitchen.

Hester wearily secured her door, wearily lit the candles, wearily
put the pen and ink on the table. For some minutes after this she was
compelled to sit down, and rally her strength and fetch her breath.
After a little she was able to remove her upper clothing. T