he would come to drag her back. Now that there seemed no ground for such a fear, she tormented herself with wondering why he had allowed her to pass thus quietly out of his life. Suddenly she heard a step on the stairs outside, and she shrank into a corner in a kind of terror. A man came in. She was on the point of giving a little scream, why she could not have told, perhaps with some wild nervous idea that it might be Robert come in search of her. It was Mr. Fielding. He started at seeing her.

'Janet!' he said with surprise—' Mrs. Charlton ! '

'You didn't expect to see me here, Mr. Fielding,' she said in trembling tone.

'Well, I didn't expect to see you, perhaps, in this room just now, but I think I had a sort of belief that you were somewhere sheltered in the house. I have heard something of what has happened. I am very, very sorry for it.'

He spoke so gravely and so kindly that the tears came rushing into Janet's eyes. All his old easy familiarity of manner was changed into a quiet re

spectful way that her instincts enabled her to under

stand. Her sorrow, her loneliness, her unprotected. condition gave her in his eyes a new title to respect.

Can nothing be done?' he began; but no, I shan't ask you anything about it, Mrs. Charlton; I know that Gabrielle hopes and believes she can do something, and she is better qualified than I or any man could be. Do you know that I come here every evening only for the purpose of sitting a little in this room because she used to sit there; your aunt lets me in; she humours me, and is so kind.'

6 Oh, Mr. Fielding,' Janet exclaimed, 'how I wish you joy, and her! You were always so good to me. You ought to be happy; she and you!'

Then she broke down and hurried out of the room, and was scolded by her aunt for having gone into it at such a time.

185

CHAPTER XI.

'AT ONE O'CLOCK TO-MORROW.'

She

GABRIELLE returned for once to her old home. She had thought it best for many reasons to see Robert Charlton there. One reason was because she hoped to accomplish her end so completely that she could bring Janet and her husband together in a moment. hoped to see them go out of the house reconciled, arm-in-arm; and then,' she thought, it will be time to have done with the place; it will have served a last good purpose for me, and may well pass into other

hands.'

There was something oppressive to her good spirits in the atmosphere of the lonely house. As she passed from this room into that, she felt as if she should not be surprised to see a ghost cowering on each hearth. She went into the memorial room, and was ready to

sigh over the vanity which would perpetuate a sentiment by means of a few symbols. She was glad that all the things there were to be sent to Mrs. Leven, to whom alone they would now rightly belong. Then the house would be disposed of after a while, and Gabrielle would feel herself free thenceforward of all its unwelcome obligations and its mournful memories. She would be free to think of it ever after only as the happy place where she first learned that Clarkson Fielding loved her, and where she acknowledged her love for him and to him.

But she still thought it possible that she might persuade the Charltons to occupy the place for some time, until the scheme for Charlton's becoming a Westend success should be in a fair way towards accomplishment. She had been greatly impressed by some words of Fielding's about Charlton, and men of his morbid nature. 'Such men would be very good fellows in prosperity; it was the wind of adversity that drew out all the sour bad qualities in them. The snow resting on them brings out the flavour of some fruits, but it destroys that of others; and Charlton's is a nature that can't stand the frost. Warm him up in the