ight be recalled and
returned; not legally indeed, but by a stronger influence than any
law--the consciousness on his part that the feeling of interest in his
life which had prompted it might change--would, must change. It was the
romantic impulse of a young and fascinating woman, who had been to him
invariably kind, but who had a reputation for caprice, which was not
unknown to him. It was a wild and beautiful adventure; but only that.

He walked up and down his rooms for a long time, sometimes thinking,
sometimes merely musing; sometimes in a pleased but gently agitated
state of almost unconsciousness. At last he sate down at his
writing-table, and wrote for some time; and then directing the letter
to the Countess of Montfort, he resolved to change the current of his
thoughts, and went to a club.

Morning is not romantic. Romance is the twilight spell; but morn is
bright and joyous, prompt with action, and full of sanguine hope. Life
has few difficulties in the morning, at least, none which we cannot
conquer; and a private secretary to a minister, young and prosperous, at
his first meal, surrounded by dry toast, all the newspapers, and piles
of correspondence, asking and promising everything, feels with pride and
delight the sense of powerful and responsible existence. Endymion had
glanced at all the leading articles, had sorted in the correspondence
the grain from the chaff, and had settled in his mind those who must be
answered and those who must be seen. The strange incident of last
night was of course not forgotten, but removed, as it were, from his
consciousness in the bustle and pressure of active life, when his
servant brought him a letter in a handwriting he knew right well. He
would not open it till he was alone, and then it was with a beating
heart and a burning cheek.

LADY MONTFORT'S LETTER

"What is it all about? and what does it all mean? I should have thought
some great calamity had occurred if, however distressing, it did not
appear in some sense to be gratifying. What is gratifying? You deal in
conundrums, which I never could find out. Of course I shall be at home
to you at any time, if you wish to see me. Pray come on at once, as I
detest mysteries. I went to the play last night with your sister. We
both of us rather expected to see you, but it seems neither of us had
mentioned to you we were going. I did not, for I was too low-spirited
about your affairs. You lost nothing. The piece was stupid