, no!" he denied vehemently.

"There," she said, "we won't talk about it. You've been one of the best
friends I ever had, and--what's in that locket you wear?"

"That?" he replied, touching a little blue-enamelled case that hung from
his watch-chain. "It has nothing more interesting in it at present than
a picture of myself. But I'd hoped--"

"Give it to me, will you," she asked, "in remembrance of to-day?"

He detached it silently from his chain, and, pressing it to his lips,
placed it in her hand.

"I'll always wear it," she said.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, and then, pulling himself
together, he remarked brusquely:

"I suppose we'd better be starting for town."

"I'll join you later," she replied. "I want to go to mid-day service in
the little church next to this convent. Such a pretty little church. I
was married there once."

"You were what? Are you really serious, Miss Arminster?"

"Perfectly," she answered, giving him a bewitching little smile as she
tripped out of the garden.

PART II.

_ENGLAND_.

CHAPTER I.

IN WHICH MRS. MACKINTOSH ADMIRES JONAH.

"I think, Matilda, that you must have neglected to put any sugar in my
tea," said the Bishop of Blanford, pushing his cup towards his sister,
after tasting the first mouthful.

"You're quite right, Josephus, I did," she replied.

"And," continued his Lordship, who, being near-sighted, was poking
about, after the manner of a mole, in the three-storied brass bird-cage
which held the more substantial portion of the repast, "there doesn't
seem to be any cake."

"You forget," said Miss Matilda sternly, "that it's an ember-day."

Her brother said nothing, and took a mouthful of the tea, which, like
the morality of the palace, was strong and bitter. But his ample chest
expanded with just the slightest sigh of regret, causing the massive
episcopal cross of gold filigree, set with a single sapphire, which
rested thereon, to rise and fall gently. Miss Matilda's hawklike eye saw
and noted this as the first slight sign of rebellion, and she hastened
to mete out justice swift and stern, saying:

"You remember, Josephus, that there's a special service at the mission
church at five, at which I consider you ought to be present."

His Lordship had not forgotten it, or the circumstance that the
afternoon was exceedingly hot, and that the mission church, which was
situated in an outlying slum, was made of corrugated tin. The p