er than was necessary.

"When will you come back to the shop?" Burton asked. It must be
remembered that, though the brother could not refuse to welcome back to
his home his sister's lover, still he thought that the engagement was a
misfortune. He did not believe in Harry as a man of business, and had
almost rejoiced when Florence had been so nearly quit of him. And now
there was a taint of sarcasm in his voice as he asked as to Harry's
return to the chambers in the Adelphi.

"I can hardly quite say as yet," said Harry, still pleading his illness.
"They were very much against my coming up to London so soon. Indeed, I
should not have done it had I not felt so very--very anxious to see
Florence. I don't know, Burton, whether I ought to say anything to you
about that."

"I suppose you have said what you had to say to the women."

"Oh yes. I think they understand me completely, and I hope that I
understand them."

"In that case, I don't know that you need say anything to me. Come to
the Adelphi as soon as you can--that's all. I never think myself that a
man becomes a bit stronger after an illness by remaining idle." Then
Harry passed on, and felt that he had escaped easily in that interview.

But as he walked home he was compelled to think of the step which he
must next take. When he had last seen Lady Ongar he had left her with a
promise that Florence was to be deserted for her sake. As yet that
promise would by her be supposed to be binding. Indeed, he had thought
it to be binding on himself till he had found himself under his mother's
influence at the parsonage. During his last few weeks in London he had
endured an agony of doubt, but in his vacillations the pendulum had
always veered more strongly toward Bolton Street than to Onslow
Crescent. Now the swinging of the pendulum had ceased altogether. From
henceforth Bolton Street must be forbidden ground to him, and the
sheepfold in Onslow Crescent must be his home till he should have
established a small peculiar fold for himself. But, as yet, he had still
before him the task of communicating his final decision to the lady in
Bolton Street. As he walked home he determined that he had better do so
in the first place by letter, and so eager was he as to the propriety of
doing this at once, that on his return to his lodgings he sat down and
wrote the letter before he went to his bed. It was not very easily
written. Here, at any rate, he had to make those confessions of w