and Bessy let me in. I told Bessy
I would go up by myself, and that is all. If I have come too late I beg
pardon."

"Not too late, certainly--as I am still up."

"And I wanted to ask you about the pictures to-morrow? You said, perhaps
you would go to-morrow--perhaps not."

Clavering had found himself to be somewhat awkwardly situated while
Madam Gordeloup was thus explaining the causes of her having come
unannounced into the room; as soon, therefore, as he found it
practicable, he took his leave. "Julia," he said, "as Madam Gordeloup is
with you, I will now go."

"But you will let me see you soon?"

"Yes, very soon; that is, as soon as I return from Clavering. I leave
town early to-morrow morning."

"Good-by then," and she put out her hand to him frankly, smiling sweetly
on him. As he felt the warm pressure of her hand he hardly knew whether
to return it or reject it. But he had gone too far now for retreat, and
he held it firmly for a moment in his own. She smiled again upon him,
oh! so passionately, and nodded her head at him. He had never, he
thought, seen a woman look so lovely, or move light of heart. How
different was her countenance now from that she had worn when she told
him, earlier on that fatal evening, of all the sorrows that made her
wretched! That nod of hers said so much. "We understand each other
now--do we not? Yes; although this spiteful woman has for the moment
come between us, we understand each other. And is it not sweet? Ah! the
troubles of which I told you you, you have cured them all." All that had
been said plainly in her farewell salutation, and Harry had not dared to
contradict it by any expression of his countenance.

"By, by, Mr. Clavering," said Sophie.

"Good evening, Madam Gordeloup," said Harry, turning upon her a look of
bitter anger. Then he went, leaving the two women together, and walked
home to Bloomsbury Square--not with the heart of a joyous, thriving
lover.

Chapter XXV

The Day of the Funeral

Harry Clavering, when he had walked away from Bolton Street after the
scene in which he had been interrupted by Sophie Gordeloup, was not in a
happy frame of mind, nor did he make his journey down to Clavering with
much comfort to himself. Whether or not he was now to be regarded as a
villain, at any rate he was not a villain capable of doing his villainy
without extreme remorse and agony of mind. It did not seem to him to be
even yet possible that he should be al