the . . . Well, somewhere."

I laughed and rose and told him he ought to go, though at the bottom of
my heart I was wishing him to stay, and thinking how little and lonely I
was, while here was a big brave man who could protect me from every
danger.

We walked together to the door, and there I took his hand and held it,
feeling, like a child, that if I let him go he might be lost in the
human ocean outside and I should see no more of him.

At last, struggling hard with a lump that was gathering in my throat, I
said:

"Martin, I have been so happy to see you. I've never been so happy to
see anybody in my life. You'll let me see you again, won't you?"

"Won't I? Bet your life I will," he said, and then, as if seeing that my
lip was trembling and my eyes were beginning to fill, he broke into a
cheerful little burst of our native tongue, so as to give me a "heise"
as we say in Ellan and to make me laugh at the last moment.

"Look here--keep to-morrow for me, will ye? If them ones" (my husband
and Alma) "is afther axing ye to do anything else just tell them there's
an ould shipmate ashore, and he's wanting ye to go 'asploring.' See?
So-long!"

It had been like a dream, a beautiful dream, and as soon as I came to
myself in the hall, with the visitors calling at the bureau and the
page-boys shouting in the corridors, I found that my telegraph-form,
crumpled and crushed, was still in the palm of my left hand.

I tore it up and went in to breakfast.

FOURTH PART

I FALL IN LOVE

FIFTY-FIRST CHAPTER

During our first day in London my husband had many visitors, including
Mr. Eastcliff and Mr. Vivian, who had much to tell and arrange about.

I dare say a great many events had happened during our six months'
absence from England; but the only thing I heard of was that Mr.
Eastcliff had married his dancing-girl, that she had retired from the
stage, and that her public appearances were now confined to the box-seat
of a four-in-hand coach, which he drove from London to Brighton.

This expensive toy he proposed to bring round to the hotel the following
day, which chanced to be Derby Day, when a party was to be made up for
the races.

In the preparations for the party, Alma, who, as usual, attracted
universal admiration, was of course included, but I did not observe that
any provision was made for me, though that circumstance did not distress
me in the least, because I was waiting for Martin's message.

It c