re. These were two notes from Helen, some violets she had once given
him, and a little purse she had knitted for him (with a playful prophecy
of future fortunes) when he had last left the vicarage. Nor blame him,
ye who, with more habitual romance of temper, and richer fertility of
imagination, can reconcile the tenderest memories with the sternest
duties, if he, with all his strength, felt that the associations
connected with those tokens would but enervate his resolves and embitter
his resignation. You can guess not the extent of the sacrifice, the
bitterness of the pang, when, averting his head, he dropped those relics
on the hearth. The evidence of the desultory ambition, the tokens of the
visionary love,--the same flame leaped up to devour both! It was as the
funeral pyre of his youth!

"So," he said to himself, "let all that can divert me from the true ends
of my life consume! Labour, take back your son."

An hour afterwards, and his clerk, returning home, found Ardworth
employed as calmly as usual on his Law Reports.

CHAPTER XVI. THE INVITATION TO LAUGHTON.

That day, when he called at Brompton, Percival reported to Madame
Dalibard his interview with the eccentric Mr. Tomkins. Lucretia seemed
chafed and disconcerted by the inquiries with which that gentleman had
honoured her, and as soon as Percival had gone, she sent for Varney. He
did not come till late; she repeated to him what St. John had said of
the stranger. Varney participated in her uneasy alarm. The name, indeed,
was unknown to them, nor could they conjecture the bearer of so ordinary
a patronymic; but there had been secrets enough in Lucretia's life
to render her apprehensive of encountering those who had known her in
earlier years; and Varney feared lest any rumour reported to St. John
might create his mistrust, or lessen the hold obtained upon a victim
heretofore so unsuspicious. They both agreed in the expediency of
withdrawing themselves and St. John as soon as possible from London, and
frustrating Percival's chance of closer intercourse with the stranger,
who had evidently aroused his curiosity.

The next day Helen was much indisposed; and the symptoms grew so grave
towards the evening that Madame Dalibard expressed alarm, and willingly
suffered Percival (who had only been permitted to see Helen for a few
minutes, when her lassitude was so extreme that she was obliged to
retire to her room) to go in search of a physician. He returned wi