nced on her, as he had done previously.

"You said to me he was abroad."

"In the country--abroad. Not--not in the great cities. I could not make
known your wishes to him."

She gave this cool explanation with her eyelids fluttering timorously,
and rose as she uttered it, but with faint and ill-supporting limbs,
for during the past hour she had gone through the sharpest trial of her
life, and had decided for the course of her life. Anthony was witless
thereof, and was mystified by his incapability of perceiving where and
how he had been deluded; but he had eaten all the muffin on the plate,
and her rising proclaimed that she had no intention of making him call
for another; which was satisfactory. He drank off her cup of tea at a
gulp.

The waitress named the sum he was to pay, and receiving a meditative
look in return for her air of expectancy after the amount had been laid
on the table, at once accelerated their passage from the shop by opening
the door.

"If ever I did give pennies, I'd give 'em to you," said Anthony, when
he was out of her hearing. "Women beat men in guessing at a man by his
face. Says she--you're honourable--you're legal--but prodigal ain't your
portion. That's what she says, without the words, unless she's a reader.
Now, then, Dahly, my lass, you take my arm. Buckle to. We'll to the
West. Don't th' old farmer pronounce like 'toe' the West? We'll 'toe'
the West. I can afford to laugh at them big houses up there.

"Where's the foundation, if one of them's sound? Why, in the City.

"I'll take you by our governor's house. You know--you know--don't ye,
Dahly, know we been suspecting his nephew? 'cause we saw him with you at
the theatre.

"I didn't suspect. I knew he found you there by chance, somehow. And I
noticed your dress there. No wonder your husband's poor. He wanted to
make you cut a figure as one of the handsomes, and that's as ruinous as
cabs--ha! ha!"

Anthony laughed, but did not reveal what had struck him.

"Sir William Blancove's house is a first-rater. I've been in it. He
lives in the library. All the other rooms--enter 'em, and if 'taint like
a sort of, a social sepulchre! Dashed if he can get his son to live with
him; though they're friends, and his son'll get all the money, and go
into Parliament, and cut a shine, never fear.

"By the way, I've seen Robert, too. He called on me at the Bank. Asked
after you.

"'Seen her?' says he.

"'No,' I says.

"'Ever see Mr. Edward