tching lips that writhed before speaking, eyes that
seemed to ache to open and were sealed by an invisible hand. At length
in the low, stumbling, unwilling voice came the response--"I swear."

"Did--she--kill--herself?"

"No!"

"Oh, love! Are you certain? Will you swear it?"

"I swear it," said the muffled voice.

"Why are you so sure? Why? Oh, tell me! Listen: she said she died by
her own hand."

"A lie. It is a lie. I killed her."

* * * * *

Hours later, the light of morning, outshining the electric light, found
the woman, the heavily slumbering man beside her, gazing, with a
stricken face and eyes which looked as if sleep had been banished from
them for ever, upon the new, unwelcome day.

Brightly the rays of the ascending sun struck upon the silver-framed
portrait on the dressing-table, upon the smiling presentment of the
fatuous-faced, shallow-eyed, dead wife.

THE EXCELLENT JOYS OF YOUTH

"No head without its nimbus of gold-coloured light."

He had that delicately tinted infantine complexion which only
accompanies red hair; his eyes were brightly blue; his features well
chiselled, with the exception of the lips, which were clumsily cut and
loosely held together. He came down to breakfast in a not very
agreeable mood, for he had been drinking for the last week, and this
was the first time he had been thoroughly sober for that period. His
head ached, his tongue was hot and leathery; he kept his hands in his
trousers-pockets because they shook heavily, and he did not want the
lodging-house servant to see.

The pockets were quite empty. He could not tell where the last few
pounds had gone--if he had lost them at that game of poker he
remembered playing before he fell asleep, or if they had been stolen
since. He did not remember, and it would be worse than useless to
inquire. Not a penny was left to him, and he had not a notion where a
penny was to come from--even to pay for the breakfast which he had no
appetite to eat.

With a heavy gloom upon his face, he stood and looked at the meal
spread for him for several minutes before he sat down to table. There
was smoked haddock, and he shook his head at it; scrambled eggs, and
having looked at the dish he hastily covered it from sight. Beneath the
sideboard a few bottles of soda-water were lying. He opened one, and,
there being no glass at hand, poured the contents into his
breakfast-cup, then drank w