ey always kick against compulsion. Don't you
dread the attitude that insensibly arises out of legal obligation?
Don't you think it is destructive to a passion whose essence is its
gratuitousness?"

"Upon my word, love, you are beginning to frighten me, too, with all
this foreboding! Well, let's go back and think it over."

Her face brightened. "Yes--so we will!" said she. And they turned
from the clerk's door, Sue taking his arm and murmuring as they
walked on homeward:

Can you keep the bee from ranging,
Or the ring-dove's neck from changing?
No! Nor fetter'd love ...

They thought it over, or postponed thinking. Certainly they
postponed action, and seemed to live on in a dreamy paradise.
At the end of a fortnight or three weeks matters remained unadvanced,
and no banns were announced to the ears of any Aldbrickham
congregation.

Whilst they were postponing and postponing thus a letter and a
newspaper arrived before breakfast one morning from Arabella.
Seeing the handwriting Jude went up to Sue's room and told her,
and as soon as she was dressed she hastened down. Sue opened the
newspaper; Jude the letter. After glancing at the paper she held
across the first page to him with her finger on a paragraph; but he
was so absorbed in his letter that he did not turn awhile.

"Look!" said she.

He looked and read. The paper was one that circulated in South
London only, and the marked advertisement was simply the announcement
of a marriage at St. John's Church, Waterloo Road, under the names,
"CARTLETT--DONN"; the united pair being Arabella and the inn-keeper.

"Well, it is satisfactory," said Sue complacently. "Though, after
this, it seems rather low to do likewise, and I am glad. However,
she is provided for now in a way, I suppose, whatever her faults,
poor thing. It is nicer that we are able to think that, than to be
uneasy about her. I ought, too, to write to Richard and ask him how
he is getting on, perhaps?"

But Jude's attention was still absorbed. Having merely glanced
at the announcement he said in a disturbed voice: "Listen to this
letter. What shall I say or do?"

THE THREE HORNS, LAMBETH.

DEAR JUDE (I won't be so distant as to call you Mr.
Fawley),--I send to-day a newspaper, from which useful
document you will learn that I was married over again to
Cartlett last Tuesday. So that business is settled right
and tight at last. But what I write about mo