nearly reached the end of--a sort of division of
the book."

"An excellent idea," said my grandmother, with animation. "You ought to
go to the sea or the mountains. You have been working very hard. You are
not looking well."

"I shall go, I shall go," I answered quickly; "fishing, probably, but I
can't say where. I'll write to you as soon as I decide."

"Now that is very pleasant," said my grandmother, as she rose from the
table, "very pleasant indeed; and if you write that you will be away
fishing for a week or two, I shall stay at the Bromleys' longer than I
intended,--perhaps until you return."

"A week or two!" I muttered to myself.

Walkirk had sharper eyes than those of my grandmother. I am sure that
when he came that evening he saw immediately that something was the
matter with me,--something of moment. He was a man of too much tact to
allude to my state of mind; but in a very short time I saved him all the
trouble of circumspection, for I growled out that I could not talk about
travels at present, and then told him that I could not write about them,
either, for I had lost my secretary. His countenance exhibited much
concern.

"But you can get another of the sisters," he said.

What I replied to this I do not remember, but I know I expressed myself
so freely, so explicitly, and with such force that Walkirk understood
very well that I wanted the secretary I had lost, that I wanted none
other, and that I wanted her very much indeed. In fact, he comprehended
the situation perfectly.

I was not sorry. I wanted somebody to whom I could talk about the
matter, in whom I could confide. In ten minutes I was speaking to
Walkirk in perfect confidence.

"But you can't do anything," said he, when there came a pause. "This is
a case in which there is nothing to do. My advice is that you go away
for a time, and try to get over it."

"I am going away," I replied.

"You could do nothing better," Walkirk remarked. "I am altogether in
favor of that, although of course such counsel is against my own
interests."

"Not at all," said I, catching his meaning, "for I shall take you with
me."

After a considerable pause in the conversation Walkirk inquired if I had
decided where I would go.

"No," I answered, "that is your affair. My desire is to get away from
every place where there is any chance of seeing a woman. I wish to
obliterate from my mind all idea of the female human being. In fact, I
think I should like to