Beatrice

t the girl who had saved his life at the risk and almost at the cost of her own was out of danger, and in

rther end of the room, slept the sleep of youth and complete exhaustion. Only an eight-day clock on the mantelpiece ticked in that solemn and aggressive way which clocks affect in the stillness. Geoffrey strained his eyes to make out the time, and finally discov

very near the End and the Beginning; and then his heart went out with renewed gratitude towards the girl who had restored him to life and light and hope. Just at this moment he thought that

man, jumping up with the alacrity of one accusto

ffrey, "but it isn't that. There

oat, and, going to the

"It's a little girl with ye

frey. "Why, it must be Effie,

w; it isn't five feet from the ground." Accordingly he opened the

swer, "Effie Bingham. I'v

ry so; your daddie is here.

t were set two beautiful dark eyes, which, contrasting with the golden hair, made the child a sight to see. But alas! just now the cheeks were stained with tears, and round the lar

ng sight of him and struggling to reach her f

ng her. "Why should you think that I was dead

t and said that you were better, and was cross with me because I went on crying and wanted to come to you. But I did go on crying. I cried nearly a

u find me, my p

along the cliff till I saw a long white house, and then when he saw that I had no shoe he wanted to take me home, but I ran away till I

d not seem to mind it much, for she sat upon the edge of the couch,

ones, Effie, and tell your

e only got one shoe,"

me with onl

ome and I don't want to go back

was very near to his heart, nearer than anything else in the world.

ee the lady, which she presently did. At that moment there came a kno

er me. When last I saw you, you looked as dead as a beached dog-fish. My name's Granger, the Reverend J.

to you for your hospitality, and under a still deeper one to

and blankets don't cost much, and you will have to p

But I daresay you find yourself rather stiff, Mr.

, "and so is my body. Shall

ice is getting on very well. Hers was a wonderful recovery, the most wonderful I ever saw. I had quite given her up, though I should have

swered earnestly. "Shall I

little daughter? What a lovely child she is. Well, I will look in again about t

pinch he could not eat much. Effie, who was starving, made up for this deficiency, however; she ate all the toast and a couple of slices o

t, Effie?"

nt trepidation, "I think that I h

they have com

o her father in a fashion which would have made it clear to any observ

m and pale and elegant as ever. She was followed by a dark-eyed somewhat impertinent-l

French to the bonne. "There she is," and she

accablée de peur, et votre chère mère aussi; oh, mais que c'est méch

rey sharply, "and leave Miss E

"Mon Dieu!" once

he is wilful as can be, and you make her worse. It is very naughty of her to run away lik

Lady Honoria had come to words about the child, with whom his wife was not in sympathy. Indeed she had never forgiven E

nd a donkey. She can ride back to the lodgings." The nurse murm

me language. "Effie, my love, give me a kiss

, tapping her little foot upon the floor, and with a look upon h

fondness which absence is fabled to beget. On these occasions he was commonly so unfortunate as to find that Lady Ho

too well acquainted, and both for his own sake and for hers-for above all things Geoffrey dreaded these bitter matrimonial bickerings-tried to think of something kind to say. It must be owned that

another child--

however convey any idea of the speaker's inward peace, "but it is a kindne

ause she cares for me and was sorry when she thought that I was dead. Really, Honoria, sometimes I wonder if you have any heart at all. Why should yo

like that are no laughing matter now to us. The child's shoes keep me awake at night sometimes. D

as was the emotional side of the question, it

talk of it, that is all. I wonde

e that his wife had experienced some kind of "call," and was about to concern herself with his heart o

if I had been a girl of no position you would never have offered me the organ on which you pretend to set so high a value. Or did your heart run wi

barrels. For, as a matter of fact, he had not begun with any passionate devotion, and ag

ttractions. Two thousand a year to start on and a baronetcy and eight thousand a year in the near future were not-but I hate talking about that kind of thing. Why do you force me to it? Nobody could know that

not yet learned to live with peace of mind and comfort on seven hundred a year

or a while, you shall be rich enough; I will make money for you, as much money a

nus ninety-seven pounds rent of chambers and clerk," said

next, and so on. I work from morning till night to get o

ed, with acid wit. "You dream, you imagine what you would like to come true, but you are deceiving me and yourself. It will be like the st

first of these scenes-they had grown frequent of l

loved you if you would let me. But you are cold and selfish; you looked upon a husband merely as a stepping-stone to luxury; you have never loved anybody except yourself. If I had died last night I believe that you would have cared more about having to go into mourning than for the fact of my disappearance from your life. You showed no more feeling for me when you came in

er clear-cut lips, how deeply he was moved. He had lost his self-control, and exposed his heart to her-a thing he rarely di

, Geoffrey, there is someth

it all!"

tinued: "If these flowers of rhetoric are over, what I have to say is this: I do not intend to stay in this horrid place any longer. I am

reasons very

test idea what they were," said Lady Hon

lub as Garsington left it, and who, had it not been for my efforts, would have left it

she does not wish to look. "And, any way, it all happened years ago and has blown over. But I do not see the necessity of

ia. Perhaps you would pre

n London, and will make the best of a bad business. Thank Heaven, I have lear

though he almost hated her. Then he thru

of a bad business. But, somehow, I seem to have made a me

en the advantage of having been brought up "on the knees of marchionesses" is a specific against vulg