the pleasant place,
And nothing wanting was, save She, alas!'

When they came out of the tunnel at the other end he caught a glimpse of
the distant castle-keep, and the well-remembered walls beneath it. The
experience so far transcended the intensity of what is called mournful
pleasure as to make him wonder how he could have miscalculated himself
to the extent of supposing that he might pass the spot with controllable
emotion.

On entering Markton station he withdrew into a remote corner of the
carriage, and closed his eyes with a resolve not to open them till the
embittering scenes should be passed by. He had not long to wait for
this event. When again in motion his eye fell upon the skirt of a lady's
dress opposite, the owner of which had entered and seated herself so
softly as not to attract his attention.

'Ah indeed!' he exclaimed as he looked up to her face. 'I had not a
notion that it was you!' He went over and shook hands with Charlotte De
Stancy.

'I am not going far,' she said; 'only to the next station. We often run
down in summer time. Are you going far?'

'I am going to a building further on; thence to Normandy by way of
Cherbourg, to finish out my holiday.'

Miss De Stancy thought that would be very nice.

'Well, I hope so. But I fear it won't.'

After saying that Somerset asked himself why he should mince matters
with so genuine and sympathetic a girl as Charlotte De Stancy? She could
tell him particulars which he burned to know. He might never again have
an opportunity of knowing them, since she and he would probably not meet
for years to come, if at all.

'Have the castle works progressed pretty rapidly under the new
architect?' he accordingly asked.

'Yes,' said Charlotte in her haste--then adding that she was not quite
sure if they had progressed so rapidly as before; blushingly correcting
herself at this point and that, in the tinkering manner of a nervous
organization aiming at nicety where it was not required.

'Well, I should have liked to carry out the undertaking to its end,'
said Somerset. 'But I felt I could not consistently do so. Miss Power--'
(here a lump came into Somerset's throat--so responsive was he yet to
her image)--'seemed to have lost confidence in me, and--it was best that
the connection should be severed.'

There was a long pause. 'She was very sorry about it,' said Charlotte
gently.

'What made her alter so?--I never can think!'

Charlotte waited aga