.

This hermit life might have continued in town indefinitely had he not,
one morning, been surprised by a note from Eileen--the first he had ever
had from her.

It was only a very brief missive--piquant, amusing, innocently audacious
in closing--a mere reminder that he had promised to write to her; and
she ended it by asking him very plainly whether he had not missed her,
in terms so frank, so sweet, so confident of his inevitable answer, that
all the enchantment of their delightful intimacy surged back in one
quick tremor of happiness, washing from his heart and soul the clinging,
sordid, evil things which were creeping closer, closer to torment and
overwhelm him.

And all that day he went about his business quite happily, her letter in
his pocket; and that night, taking a new pen and pen holder, he laid out
his very best letter-paper, and began the first letter he had ever
written to Eileen Erroll.

"DEAR EILEEN: I have your charming little note from Silverside
reminding me that I had promised to write you. But I needed no
reminder; you know that. Then why have I not written? I couldn't,
off-hand. And every day and evening except to-day and this evening
I have been in conference with Edgerton Lawn and other
representatives of the Lawn Nitro-Powder Company; and have come to
a sort of semi-agreement with them concerning a high explosive
called Chaosite, which they desire to control the sale of as soon
as I can control its tendency to misbehave. This I expect to do
this summer; and Austin has very kindly offered me a tiny cottage
out on the moors too far from anybody or anything to worry people.

"I know you will be glad to hear that I have such attractive
business prospects in view. I dare say I shall scarcely know what
to do with my enormous profits a year or two hence. Have you any
suggestions?

"Meanwhile, however, your letter and its questions await answers;
and here they are:

"Yes, I saw Gerald once at his club and had a short talk with him.
He was apparently well. You should not feel so anxious about him.
He is very young, yet, but he comes from good stock. Sooner or
later he is bound to find himself; you must not doubt that. Also he
knows that he can always come to me when he wishes.

"No, I have not ridden in the Park since you and Nina and the
children went to Silverside. I walked