ndragon would be no longer a
place of contrasts; it would be all of a piece, a completely popular
watering-place.

The vision of its passing hurt him--so much must go with it; and
gradually he saw the beauty and the superstition and the wonder being
driven from the world--the Old World--and a hard Iron and Steel
Materialism relentlessly taking its place.

But he himself had changed; the place had had its influence on him, and
he was beginning to see the beauty of these improvements, these
manufactures, these hard straight lines and gaunt ugly squares.
Progress? Progress? Inevitable?--yes! Useful?--why, yes, too! But
beautiful?--Well, perhaps ... he did not know.

At the top of the hill he turned and saluted the cold grey sky and sea
and moor. The Four Stones were in harmony to-day: white, and
pearl-grey, with hints of purple in their shadows--oh beautiful and
mysterious world!

He went into the Bethels' to call for Mary. Bethel appeared for a
moment at the door of his study and shouted--

"Hullo! Harry, my boy! Frightfully busy cataloguing! Going out for a
run in a minute!"--the door closed.

His daughter's engagement seemed to have made little difference to him.
He was pleased, of course, but Harry wondered sometimes whether he
realised it at all.

Not so Mrs. Bethel. Arrayed in gorgeous colours, she was blissfully
happy. She was at the head of the stairs now.

"Just a minute, Harry--Mary's nearly ready. Oh! my dear, you haven't
been out in that thin waistcoat ... but you'll catch your death--just a
minute, my dear, and let me get something warmer? Oh do! Now you're
an obstinate, bad man! Yes, a bad, bad man"--but at this moment
arrived Mary, and they said good-bye and were away.

During the few weeks that they had been together there had been no
cloud. Pendragon had talked, but they had not listened to it; they had
been perfectly, ideally happy. They seemed to have known each other
completely so long ago--not only their virtues but their faults and
failures.

With her arm in his they passed through the gate and found Robin
waiting for them.

"Hullo! you two! I've just heard from Macfadden. He suggests Catis in
Dover Street for six months and then abroad. He thinks I ought to pass
easily enough in a year's time--and then it will mean Germany!"

His face was lighted with excitement.

"Right you are!" cried Harry. "Anything that Macfadden suggests is
sure to be pretty right. What d