Love Eternal

dnesday morning. Late on the Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Knight brought the lad to the Charing Cross Hotel. There, having taken his ticket and made all other necess

every point of the earnest Christian's duty, ending up with admonitions on the dangers of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and a s

reasons than those which are supposed to be common. Woman," he went on, warming to his topic, "although allowed upon the world as a necessary evil, is a painted snare, full of [he meant baited with] guile. You will remember that the first woman, in her wic

nal idleness, and lastly, that a desire for knowledge is natural and praiseworthy. Had Isobel been in his place she would have advanced th

and that she loves you, you are doing what she wants and really she only loves herself. Therefore you must never pay attention to her soft words, and e

om him involuntarily, "but, Father, if you have always avoi

t was staggered. Then

g the effect of their arts on ot

is eye to keyholes, or peering through fences with wi

me, because, although old and unsightly, she is still female. When you left your home this morning for the first time, who was it that you grieved to part from? Not your companions, the other boys, but Mrs. Parsons again, whom I found you embracin

ontradiction, but as none came

etween you and her, bold, godless and revolutionary as she is. I had rather see any man for whose welfare I cared, married to a virtuous and pious-minded housemaid, than to this young lady, as she is called, with all her wealth and position, who would eat out his soul with her acid unbelief and turn the world upside down to satisfy her fancy. Now I must go or I shall miss my train. H

lomon wrote Prov

sel. You will write to me once a week, and when you have had your dinner get

w and departed, leaving that youth full of refle

ide of him. Noting this good-looking and lonely lad, she began to talk to him, and being a woman of the world, soon knew all about him, his name, who he was, whither he was going, etc. When she found out that it was to Lucerne, or rather its immediate ne

mpanions," she said when s

e," he added colouring, "I am going second and have to spend as little as possible. Indeed I have

es on the journey. Then she went on chatting and drawing him out, and what is more, made him take several glasses of some delicious white wine she was drinking. It was not very strong wine, but except for a little small beer, practically Godfrey had been brought up as a teetotal

s' in Grosvenor Square. I was asked to it, b

im be sure not to be late for the train, as sh

acious, although she was over forty, and lea

of some attention from a policeman, although of this he was unaware. Also some rather odd ladies spoke to him from time to time which he thought kind of them, although they smelt so peculiar and seemed to have paint upon their faces. In answer to the inquiries of two of them as t

he doubting policeman sugge

Godfrey of that

with curiosity, he inquired, "Where do you wa

tter and said with the ve

you suggested), and Grosvenor Square. Perhaps, however, they

could find no fault with the per

esn't lead to 'eaven so far as I have noticed, rather t'other way indeed. But if you w

oliteness. "If that is so, I will leave heaven to itself

reets, continually seeking new information as to his goal. The end of it was that at about a quarter to eleven he found himself somewhere in the

appealed, "I think you had better take a 'ansom for the 'orse wi

, and entered the cab, giving t

er?" asked

ied Godfrey, "the Ba

ntil they came to a great house where there were signs of festivity in

above-never having been in a hansom before, a

ng gent. Now you'd bet

to the Jehu that his object was to observe the ball from without, not to dance at it within

" he shouted through the hole. "Here, you

at the hotel. This also he explained with many apologies to the infuriated cabby, two gorgeous flunkeys w

ns, Thomas; I expect that's wot he's come for. Now

sewn a ten shilling piece into the lining of his waistcoat, "in case he should ever want any money sudden-like." He undid that garmen

if only I can get

ced a pair of scissors from her pocket with which he began to hack at the waistcoat, gashing it s

. Let it teach you to have more trust

d it, bit it, threw it on the top of the cab to see that it rang tru

though the last thing he was thinking of at that moment was change-except of locality. He ran a

l always says I do when I get the chance. I have come a

There was the house, and in it was Isobel, and oh! he wanted to see her. He crossed

came the sounds of music, of dancing feet, of laughter and the tinkling of glasses. It had balconies, and on these appeared people dressed

came onto the steps. One of them was dressed as a knight in shining armour. He was a fine, tall young man, and his face was handsome, as the watcher could perceive, for he had taken off his plumed helm and carr

. It will be cooler. The k

ces of where Godfrey stood there was a gate. She gave the key to the knight, and after one or two attempts the gate swung open. Whilst he was fumbling

e there, Lord Ch

b-tout or a beggar, I expect. They always han

d along the path, Godfrey following at a distance, till they came to a recessed seat on which they sat down. He halted behind a lilac bush ten paces or so away, not that he wanted to listen, but because he was ashamed to show himself. Inde

r hands as though she had won a bet. After this they began to whisper to each other, at least he whispered and she smiled and shook her head. Finally, she seemed to give way, for she unfastened the flow

hat?" sai

hearing things. A stray cat, I expect; London squares are full of them. Now I hav

"There are no pins i

self. Kiss it first, that

t keep up the game, and there are

it with her lips. Suddenly he did the same, and their

as the stray cat might have done, of which the f

and that he was doing a mean thing in spying upon her. So he halted behind another bush, but not without noise. His handsome young face was

ay into the darkness back to the gate. As he went

l answer, "Nothing. I have seen a ghost

through the gate and running down the square. At its end, as he turned into some street, he was surprised to hear a gruff voice calling to him to

f wot you said to me. You gave me half a quid, you did. Jump in and

" replied Godfrey, "fo

" said the cabby. "Hop in

ng Cross Hotel, which they reached a little later. He got out of t

" he said, and tender

change," sa

ou ere just an obfusticated youngster and no bilk as I called you to them flunkeys. What you said made me ashamed, though I wouldn't own it before the flunkeys. So I determined to pay you back if I c

d. Moreover Mr. Sims seemed to be familiar to him

ping the horse which was a spirited

r. He found the cab overturned and the horse with a 'bus pole driven deep into its side, kicking on the p

. Moreover, he could not sleep well. Nightmares haunted him in which he was being hunted and mocked by a jeering crowd, until Sims arrived

ossing roses to each other as they sped along, until finally his father appeared, called Isobel a young serpent,

arnestly on his latter end, which seemed to be at hand. If that great, bu

of the half-sovereign to St. Peter, perhaps, and hoping humbly that it and others w

o kill that knight in armour, and Isobel as well. Oh! what a fool he had been. What business was it of his if Isobel chose to give roses to some friend of hers at a d

ang about the skirts of that fine and rich young lady, who on the night that he was going away could give roses to another man, just because he was a lord and good-looking-yes

sixpenny article that he had been given off a Christmas tree at Hawk's Hall, and observed, with horror, that he had just ten minutes in which to dress, pack, and catch the train. Somehow he did it, for fortunately his bill had been paid. Always in after days a tumultuous vision remained in his mind of himself, a long, lank youth with u

een flag. "It's all my place is worth to delay the Continental Express for more than a minute. Thank

elf in the arms of Miss Ogilvy in a reserved first-class carriage. F

him with his back resting against a po

is watch and looked at it, then remarked that e

why I told the maid to see if you had been called,

ing his waistcoat. "I have had a very troubl

g?" asked Miss Ogilvy, w

sting, told her all, and the stor

aid, when he had fini

ood behind, and I am so hungr

ave some breakfast," said Miss Ogilvy, "for on the

had breakfasted already,

ls on the trains," explained Godfrey,

r mother, now. Besides, I have a ta

o the dining car, where h

id at length. "You have only had a

xpect I shall be very ill, and you will have to look after me

ntemplating his empty plate with a gloomy eye. "Beside

t can be arrange

d not in the least understand what she was doing, but as a result he was her companion throughout the long journey. The crossing was very rough, and it w

hey moored alongside of the French pie

his damp brow with a scented pocket-handkerchief,

nd relapsed into a torpor, from which he awoke only to find himse

mind, and Miss Ogilvy proved a fund of information. When they had exhausted the scenery they conversed on other to

er unusual eyes, "do you ever have dreams, Godfre

ve seen lots of dead people, because my father always takes me to look at them in the pa

ou have th

tated a

walking alone, especially in the evening, or won

hey?" she a

. "They come and they go, and I forget them, becaus

something; try to t

rts of things. For instance, if I am puzzling over anything they will explain it quite clearly, but afterwards I always forget the

that

man, was one of them, and," he added colouring, "forgive me for saying so, but you are an

, "and how delightful. Becaus

ctantly, but as she s

ot quite at the top." He closed his eyes, and added, "Yes, and there is a village at the bottom of the valley by a swift-running stream, and in it a small white church with a spire and a gilt weathercock with a bird on it. Then," he continued rapidly, "I can see the house where I am going to

it. It is only about two miles from Lucerne by the short way through the woods. What is more, there is a tre

d me that the name of the little village is Kl

ace I told you we were coming to, with the dark trees, the three peaks,

rriage window, and

h! at last I have found what I have been seeking for

ft, Miss

urse, and perhaps cl

and said that he wished it

guessed that Ethel Ogilvy was