home and sat brooding over the fire. Her voice had not
been so kind, her look so womanly, for months. Had she been reading
'Shirley,' and would she have liked him to play Louis Moore? He went
into a fit of silent convulsive laughter as the idea occurred to him.

Some secret instinct made him keep away from her for a time. At last,
one Friday afternoon, as he emerged from the Museum, where he had been
collating the MSS. of some obscure Alexandrian, the old craving returned
with added strength and he turned involuntarily westward.

An acquaintance of his, recently made in the course of work at the
Museum, a young Russian professor, ran after him, and walked with him.
Presently they passed a poster on the wall, which contained in enormous
letters the announcement of Madame Desforets' approaching visit to
London, a list of plays, and the dates of performances.

The young Russian suddenly stopped and stood pointing at the
advertisement, with shaking derisive finger, his eyes aflame, the whole
man quivering with what looked like antagonism and hate.

Then he broke into a fierce flood of French. Langham listened till they
had passed Piccadilly, passed the Park, and till the young _savant_
turned southward toward his Brompton lodgings.

Then Langham slowly climbed Campden Hill, meditating. His thoughts
were an odd mixture of the things he had just heard, and of a scene at
Murewell long ago when a girl had denounced him for 'calumny.'

At the door of Lerwick Gardens he was informed that Mrs. Leyburn was
upstairs with an attack of bronchitis. But the servant thought the young
ladies were at home. Would he come in? He stood irresolute a moment,
then went in on a pretext of 'inquiry.'

The maid threw open the drawing-room door, and there was Rose sitting
well into the fire--for it was a raw February afternoon--with a book.

She received him with all her old hard brightness. He was indeed
instantly sorry that he had made his way in. Tyrant! was she displeased
because he had slipped his chain for rather longer than usual?

However, he sat down, delivered his book, and they talked first about
her mother's illness. They had been anxious, she said, but the doctor,
who had just taken his departure, had now completely reassured them.

'Then you will be able probably after all to put in an appearance at
Lady Charlotte's this evening?' he asked her.

The omnivorous Lady Charlotte of course had made acquaintance with him,
in the L