ame up," he said. "I
have considered that what has happened is for the best. Since your
husband is gone away, and seems not to wish to trouble you, why, let
him go, and drop out of your life. Many women are worse off. You can
live here comfortably enough, and he can emigrate, or do what he likes
for his good. I wouldn't mind sending him the further sum of money he
might naturally expect to come to him, so that you may not be bothered
with him any more. He could hardly have gone on living here without
speaking to me, or meeting me; and that would have been very unpleasant
on both sides."

These remarks checked her intention. There was a sense of weakness in
following them by saying that she had just met her husband by
appointment. "Then you would advise me not to communicate with him?"
she observed.

"I shall never advise ye again. You are your own mistress--do as you
like. But my opinion is that if you don't live with him, you had
better live without him, and not go shilly-shallying and playing
bopeep. You sent him away; and now he's gone. Very well; trouble him
no more."

Grace felt a guiltiness--she hardly knew why--and made no confession.

CHAPTER XLVI.

The woods were uninteresting, and Grace stayed in-doors a great deal.
She became quite a student, reading more than she had done since her
marriage But her seclusion was always broken for the periodical visit
to Winterborne's grave with Marty, which was kept up with pious
strictness, for the purpose of putting snow-drops, primroses, and other
vernal flowers thereon as they came.

One afternoon at sunset she was standing just outside her father's
garden, which, like the rest of the Hintock enclosures, abutted into
the wood. A slight foot-path led along here, forming a secret way to
either of the houses by getting through its boundary hedge. Grace was
just about to adopt this mode of entry when a figure approached along
the path, and held up his hand to detain her. It was her husband.

"I am delighted," he said, coming up out of breath; and there seemed no
reason to doubt his words. "I saw you some way off--I was afraid you
would go in before I could reach you."

"It is a week before the time," said she, reproachfully. "I said a
fortnight from the last meeting."

"My dear, you don't suppose I could wait a fortnight without trying to
get a glimpse of you, even though you had declined to meet me! Would it
make you angry to know that I have