r."

"Of course there should. There should never have been a dream that
she or I could marry on six hundred a year. Had not all of us been
fools, we should have taken our hats off and bade each other farewell
for ever when the state of the old man's affairs was known. We were
fools; but we were fools together; and none of us have a right to
abuse the others. When I became acquainted with this young lady at
Rome, it had been settled among us that Imogene and I must seek our
fortunes apart."

"Then why did you come after her?" again asked Mr. Docimer.

At this moment Imogene herself joined them on the terrace. "Mary,"
she said to her sister-in-law, "I hope you are not carrying on this
battle with Mr. Houston. I have said what there was to be said."

"You should have held your tongue and said nothing," growled her
brother.

"Be that as it may I have said it, and he quite understands what I
think about it. Let us eat our dinner in peace and quietness, and
then let him go on his travels. He has the world free before him,
which he no doubt will open like an oyster, though he does not carry
a sword." Soon after this they did dine, and contented themselves
with abusing the meat and the wine, and finding fault with Tyrolese
cookery, just as though they had no deeper cares near their hearts.
Precisely at six the heavy diligence stopped before the hotel door,
and Houston, who was then smoking with Docimer on the terrace, got
up to bid them adieu. Mrs. Docimer was kind and almost affectionate,
with a tear in her eye. "Well, old fellow," said Docimer, "take
care of yourself. Perhaps everything will turn up right some of
these days." "Good-bye, Mr. Houston," said Imogene, just giving him
her hand to touch in the lightest manner possible. "God bless you,
Imogene," said he. And there was a tear also in his eye. But there
was none in hers, as she stood looking at him while he prepared
himself for his departure; nor did she say another word to him as he
went. "And now," said she, when the three of them were left upon the
terrace, "I will ask a great favour of you both. I will beg you not
to let there be another word about Mr. Houston among us." After that
she rambled out by herself, and was not seen again by either of them
that evening.

When she was alone she too shed her tears, though she felt impatient
and vexed with herself as they came into her eyes. It was not perhaps
only for her lost love that she wept. Had no one known t