than when he had first
spoken of his love on the side of Mount Olivet. Then he had been
little more than a boy; a boy indeed with a high feeling, with a
poetic nature, and much humour. But these gifts had hardly sufficed
to win her heart. Now he had added to these a strong will, a power of
command, a capability of speaking out to the world with some sort of
voice. After all, power and will are the gifts which a woman most
loves in a man.

And now that Caroline had lost her lover, she confessed to herself
that she did love him. Love him! Yes! How could she recover him? That
was her first thought. She could not recover him in any way. That
was her second thought. As to asking him to come back to her; the
wrenching of the limb from the socket would be better than that.
That, at least, she knew she could not do. And was it possible
that he of his own accord should come back to her? No, it was not
possible. The man was tender hearted, and could have been whistled
back with the slightest lure while yet they two were standing in the
room together. But he was as proud as he was tender. Though there
might also be some wrenching to be done within his heart, he would
never come back again uninvited.

And thus, while Miss Baker was at her old friend's card-party, Miss
Waddington sat in her own bedroom, striving, with bitter tears and
violent struggles, to reconcile herself to her loss.

CHAPTER VI.

SIR LIONEL IN TROUBLE.

It has been said that Miss Baker was going to spend the evening with
an old friend. I trust that Miss Todd, umquhile of the valley of
Jehoshaphat, and now of No. 7 Paragon, Littlebath, has not been
forgotten; Miss Todd of the free heart and the rosy face.

Yes, Miss Todd had come to Littlebath, and was intent rather on
forming a party of Toddites than of joining herself to either of the
regular sets. She was perhaps not much given to be pious, and she
certainly was but ill inclined to be slow. If fast, however, she
chose to be fast in her own line.

But before we have the pleasure of attending at her _soiree_, we must
say a word or two of one of the most distinguished of the expected
guests. Sir Lionel was to be there.

Now Sir Lionel had been leading a pleasant life at Littlebath, with
one single exception--that he was rather in want of funds. He had
capital apartments, four rooms _ensuite_, a man-servant, a groom,
three horses, and a phaeton, and no one was more looked up to at
Littlebath. L