-- Never come home any more!"

She repeated this over and over again, vacantly: nothing but these
five words.

Nature refused to bear it; or rather, Nature mercifully helped her to
bear it. When John took his wife in his arms she was insensible; and
remained so, with intervals, for hours.

This was the end of Edwin's wedding-day.

CHAPTER XXXVI

Lord Ravenel knew--as all Paris did by this time--the whole story.
Though, as he truly said, he had not seen Guy. The lad was hurried off
immediately, for fear of justice: but he had written from shipboard to
Lord Ravenel, begging him himself to take the letter and break the news
to us at Beechwood.

The man he had struck was not one of Lord Luxmore's set--though it was
through some of his "noble" friends Guy had fallen into his company.
He was an Englishman, lately succeeded to a baronetcy and estate; his
name--how we started to hear it, though by Lord Ravenel and by us, for
his sake, it was both pronounced and listened to, as if none of us had
ever heard it before--Sir Gerard Vermilye.

As soon as Ursula recovered, Mr. Halifax and Lord Ravenel went to Paris
together. This was necessary, not only to meet justice, but to track
the boy--to whose destination we had no clue but the wide world,
America. Guy's mother hurried them away--his mother, who rose from her
bed, and moved about the house like a ghost--up-stairs and
down-stairs--everywhere--excepting in that room, which was now once
more locked, and the outer blind drawn down, as if Death himself had
taken possession there.

Alas! we learned now that there may be sorrows bitterer even than death.

Mr. Halifax went away. Then followed a long season of torpid
gloom--days or weeks, I hardly remember--during which we, living shut
up at Beechwood, knew that our name--John's stainless, honourable
name--was in everybody's mouth--parrotted abroad in every
society--canvassed in every newspaper. We tried, Walter and I, to stop
them at first, dreading lest the mother might read in some foul print
or other scurrilous tales about her boy; or, as long remained doubtful,
learn that he was proclaimed through France and England as a
homicide--an assassin. But concealments were idle--she would read
everything--hear everything--meet everything--even those neighbours who
out of curiosity or sympathy called at Beechwood. Not many times,
though; they said they could not understand Mrs. Halifax. So, after a
while, they al