e Mrs Hurtle of his life
at any time intrude upon his happiness, he may with a clear brow and
undaunted heart say to his beloved one,--'Ah, this is the trouble of
which I spoke to you.' And then he and his beloved one will be in one
cause together. But he hardly wishes to supply his beloved one with a
written record of his folly. And then who does not know how much
tenderness a man may show to his own faults by the tone of his voice,
by half-spoken sentences, and by an admixture of words of love for the
lady who has filled up the vacant space once occupied by the Mrs
Hurtle of his romance? But the written record must go through from
beginning to end, self-accusing, thoroughly perspicuous, with no
sweet, soft falsehoods hidden under the half-expressed truth. The soft
falsehoods which would be sweet as the scent of violets in a personal
interview, would stand in danger of being denounced as deceit added to
deceit, if sent in a letter. I think therefore that Paul Montague did
quite right in hurrying up to London.

He asked for Miss Carbury, and when told that Miss Henrietta was with
her mother, he sent his name up and said that he would wait in the
dining-room. He had thoroughly made up his mind to this course. They
should know that he had come at once; but he would not, if it could be
helped, make his statement in the presence of Lady Carbury. Then,
upstairs, there was a little discussion. Hetta pleaded her right to
see him alone. She had done what Roger had advised, and had done it
with her mother's consent. Her mother might be sure that she would not
again accept her lover till this story of Mrs Hurtle had been sifted
to the very bottom. But she must herself hear what her lover had to
say for himself. Felix was at the time in the drawing-room and
suggested that he should go down and see Paul Montague on his sister's
behalf;--but his mother looked at him with scorn, and his sister
quietly said that she would rather see Mr Montague herself. Felix had
been so cowed by circumstances that he did not say another word, and
Hetta left the room alone.

When she entered the parlour Paul stept forward to take her in his
arms. That was a matter of course. She knew it would be so, and she
had prepared herself for it. 'Paul,' she said, 'let me hear about all
this--first.' She sat down at some distance from him,--and he found
himself compelled to seat himself at some distance from her.

'And so you have heard of Mrs Hurtle,' he sai