happy. Then when she descended to tea she placed them
securely in the box under some more of her own for the seven-o'clock
post, and went her way rejoicing.

XXVIII

Next morning, over a rather late breakfast in his sitting-room at
Claridge's, Josiah's second post came in.

All had gone well with his business in the City the day before, and in
the afternoon he had run down to Bessington Hall, returning late at
night.

He was feeling unusually well and self-important, and his thoughts
turned to pleasant things: To the delight of having Theodora once more
as a wife; of his hope of founding a family--the Browns of
Bessington--why not? Had not a boy at the gate called him squire?

"Good-day to 'e, squire," he had said, and that was pleasant to hear.

If only his tiresome cough would keep off in the autumn, he might
himself shoot the extensive coverts he had ordered to be stocked on the
estate. He had heard there were schools for would-be sportsmen to learn
the art of handling a gun, and he would make inquiries.

All the prospect was fair.

He picked up his letters and turned them over. Nothing of importance.
Ah, yes! there was Theodora's. The first letter she had ever written
him, and such a long one! What could the girl have to say? Surely not
all that about trains! He opened the envelope with a knife which lay by
his plate, and this is what he read--read with whitening face and
sinking heart:

"BEECHLEIGH, _June 5th_.

HECTOR, MY BELOVED!--Oh, for this last time I must think
of you as that! Dearest, we are parted now and may never meet
again, and the pain of it all kept me silent yesterday, when my
heart was breaking with the anguish and longing to tell you how I
loved you, how you were not going away suffering alone. Oh, it has
all crept upon us, this great, great love! It was fate, and it was
useless to struggle against it. Only we must not let it be the
reason of our doing wrong--that would be to degrade it, and love
should not live in an atmosphere of degradation. I could not go
away with you, could not have you for my lover without breaking a
bargain--a bargain over which I have given my word. Of course I did
not know what love meant when I was married. In France one does not
think of that as connected with a husband. It was just a duty to be
got through to help papa and my sisters. But my part of the bargain
was mys