hat it was not to be
easily removed.

At Grimsby the first serious symptoms of illness had shown themselves
in Anne. They appeared soon after the news of Lady Glyde's marriage
had been made public in the newspapers, and had reached her through
that medium.

The medical man who was sent for to attend the sick woman discovered at
once that she was suffering from a serious affection of the heart. The
illness lasted long, left her very weak, and returned at intervals,
though with mitigated severity, again and again. They remained at
Grimsby, in consequence, during the first half of the new year, and
there they might probably have stayed much longer, but for the sudden
resolution which Anne took at this time to venture back to Hampshire,
for the purpose of obtaining a private interview with Lady Glyde.

Mrs. Clements did all in her power to oppose the execution of this
hazardous and unaccountable project. No explanation of her motives was
offered by Anne, except that she believed the day of her death was not
far off, and that she had something on her mind which must be
communicated to Lady Glyde, at any risk, in secret. Her resolution to
accomplish this purpose was so firmly settled that she declared her
intention of going to Hampshire by herself if Mrs. Clements felt any
unwillingness to go with her. The doctor, on being consulted, was of
opinion that serious opposition to her wishes would, in all
probability, produce another and perhaps a fatal fit of illness, and
Mrs. Clements, under this advice, yielded to necessity, and once more,
with sad forebodings of trouble and danger to come, allowed Anne
Catherick to have her own way.

On the journey from London to Hampshire Mrs. Clements discovered that
one of their fellow-passengers was well acquainted with the
neighbourhood of Blackwater, and could give her all the information she
needed on the subject of localities. In this way she found out that
the only place they could go to, which was not dangerously near to Sir
Percival's residence, was a large village called Sandon. The distance
here from Blackwater Park was between three and four miles--and that
distance, and back again, Anne had walked on each occasion when she had
appeared in the neighbourhood of the lake.

For the few days during which they were at Sandon without being
discovered they had lived a little away from the village, in the
cottage of a decent widow-woman who had a bedroom to let, and whose
di