eir day's work in good time; but even had they been the reverse, the latest of them would have been about before Julia and Rawson-Clew reached the outskirts of the

so as to present the best appearance possible when she arrived at the Van Heigens'. It was not natural, of course, that a person should appear too neat and orderly after a night of adventure, lost on

t she was quite safe; but she would not have this, she felt she could manage very much better without him, his presence would only require a good deal of extra explanation, none too easy to give. He guessed the reason of her refusal and saw the wisdom of it, although he felt annoyed that she had, as he now perceived she must, co

ing-places of carriage proprietors and washerwomen, when a girl stepped out of a

she wanted to see just then. Consternation is a waste of time and energy when you are found out, a bold

onished recognition, she turned and set off up the road towards where

a stable-yard near. A light had come into her eyes, a dancing light like the gleam on a sword-blade. There was a little wee smile about her lips, too, which somehow

s the speeding figure; "she is too careful to waste he

ulfil her words at the junction of the street, got in.

said; "I don't w

said, and ordered the man to drive on into

once, all of them in a great state of excitement. She thought it was possible he would not master every detail, but at the same time she did not wish him to tr

to explain things, of course, but, as I told you before, I have had some practice at dodging and explaining. I shall

o have figured in the original account, that is obvious, but it is equa

m used to tight places, and it would be an insufferable annoyance to you. I really don't want you

poke. "My dear child," he said; "in spite of the sheltered life with which you cre

ing her temper; "I can do it a great deal better than you

eration of the lady first and truth afterwards-a long way after. Let me know what

much mirth. "I do wish yo

rdens, to the wooden house with the dark-tiled roof. There Rawson-Clew

ions, uttered very gutturally and with upraised hands. She was a country girl from some remote district, and she

ulations on her safe return, said in a friendly manner that s

followed, but Julia did not pay much attention to it, she turned to Ra

id; "it serves me right. I under-rated her-this

where these people a

it, she knew

you goin

come back, there

id not approve of that. "You cannot wait with me," she said; "it

gue the point. "Thank you," he said, "I prefer to w

n her eyes. "Oh, well, if you prefer to wait," she said, "but I'm afraid you must do it alone." And before he real

heard, and would have been puzzled to say now from this one hearing. It was a distant bulb farm, and Mijnheer had gone there on business; the fact that Julia had not returned home naturally did not keep the good man from his work. These details Rawson-Clew did not know; the name only was given to him, and that conveyed nothing. Joost, he was told, was somewhere in the bulb gardens, where, seemed unknown; Mevrouw was at the house of the notary. Who the notary was, and where he lived, and why she had gone there were alike as obscure to

sent himself at the house of the notary-when he could find it-and tell Vrouw Van Heigen he had brought Julia home and she was afraid to appear with him. Either he and she must act together and a

h would have got her tale told, her case proven, indignation aroused and sympathy with her before the Van Heigens even saw Julia. He wondered what she would do alone and wished he knew how she fared; he thought over the explanations possible and the various ways out that might suggest themselves to a fertile brain. They were not many, and they were not good; the simple truth would probably be best, and that would be so exceedingly compromising under the circumstances that the Van Heigens were hardly likely to find it palatable. Indeed, he began

that it struck him that he had, in these his mature years, committed

d so had no motive for remaining, she had nowhere else to go. Perhaps she had quarrelled with her relatives; perhaps they could not afford to keep her-they were poor enough he knew. She had once said her eldest sister had lately married the nephew of a bishop; he remembered that, and he also remembered that, after his unfortunate visit to Captain Polkington, he had heard they were people with some good connections. But that did not mean that they could afford to hel

ds in his pockets and his eyes on the stre

he morrow, in the way approved by boys and dogs and creatures without experience. And here was to-morrow, knocking at the door and demanding the price-as experience showed that it usually did. The question was, who was going to pay, he or she? She had taken it upon herself as a matter of course; it seemed natural to her that

able, but he did not at once begin, for between him and the paper there rose up the vision of a stately old Norfolk house. It was his; he had not lived there for years, but he supposed he would some day; all his people had; he remembered his grandfath

ever overlooked you or anything else. She had her points certainly, she was loyal to the core-she would be loyal to him, he was sure, in this scrape, with a silly wrong-headed loyalty, more like a man's to a woman than a woman's to a man. She was loyal to her none too reputable family-that family was a bitter thing to his pride of race. She was courageous, too, cheerfully enduring, laughing in the face of disaster, patient when action was impossible and when it was possible-he found himself smiling when he recalled her-surely there was never one more gay,

of whether he would or would not, liked or disliked; he had simply

she intended, before Mevrouw got back from the Snieders. But she had not been in much more than five minutes before the old lady, supported by Vrou

had not largely assisted her family in living by their wits without having those faculties in exceeding good working order; she had already seen and seized the only thing open to her when the end should come. But the fact that she knew

rl. Poor Denah lost her temper, and lost her head, and lost control of her tongue and her tears. Julia did not lose anything, but again and again winged shafts that went unerringly home. She was genuinely sorry to have upset and disappointed Mevrouw, but for Denah she did not care in the least, and the old lady soon contrived to soften som

hot metal, were always followed by fresh bursts of excitement. The good man tried in vain to make out what was the matter and what had happened. At last, after his fifth effort elsewhere, he turned to Julia, and she told him briefly. She told the

w you; I knew you were not to be trusted then. Why did you pretend, and how do you know him? He

n may be, he is a man, that is enough; and she was out with him-alone-a whole da

ulia, and she

und out, and that not so much as she ought now that the joy of battle was upon her. As for the women, they suspected far worse than Mijnheer believed; but even if they had not, if they had believed no more than the truth, that would have been enough for condemnation; her offence-the real one-was past forgi

should deserve it. You have been very kind to me while I have been here, and made my servi

y at Julia for a moment, then he came to the conclusion that if she was not too abandoned a person to be really repentant, it would be as well to take advantage of her p

to me yourselves, I am no longer ashamed, for it is clear that your goodness dares to do a thing that no man's wickedness would; it turns the foolish and indiscreet into sinners and sinners into devils; it makes the way of wrong-doing very easy. You are so good," she went on, putting aside an interruption; "perhaps you do not know wickedness when you see it; you can

he, and they too, were vaguely uneasy under the reproach. Julia was satisfied; more especially as her experience o

k of such things, as you observe; do not let us speak of them an

he step, he paused with his purse in his hand. "But can you go now?

uld be well to get the thing over and don

, Mijnheer counted the mo

ay, of course, Mevrouw," she went on, turning to Vrouw Snieder-"and Miss Denah, t

ly, and Vrouw Snieder c

" Julia answered sweetly; "I will take my cof

y recovered and began to talk over Julia and her wrong doings till they felt quite comfortable again. Denah did not join very much in the discussion; after she had once again, by request, repeated what she had seen and what deduced therefrom, she was left rather to herself. She went to the window and sat ther

I will give you a piece of advice; take care how you tell Joost about my wickedness; you want to be ever so clever to abuse another girl to

umour to do so; she stared angrily at Julia, who unconcerne

regret she had felt before for repaying belief and kindness by such disillusioning. Afterwards he seemed to say nothing more; presumably they had convinced him with overwhelming evidence. She wondered how he looked; she could picture his serious blue eyes uncomfortable well; poor Joost, who had such high opinions of her, wh

he office. When she had done she went to Mevrouw, who had bet

I waited till after dinner? I will stay till six if you wish

nner, and really it hardly seemed as if propriety could suffer much; accordingly s

perhaps only natural that she took pains to make that dinner a memorably goo

t she looked at it as it lay on the table beside her. She did not recognise the writing, though she saw

been a special messenger of some sort. On hearing this, she did not trouble to clean

Polkingto

ask before I leave Holland. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife? I know there is rather a difference in years between us, but if you can overlook the discrepancy, and cons

incerel

Rawso

n, and when she looked up her eyes were shining with admiration. "I am glad!" she said aloud, but in English, "I am glad he

tter gave pleasure, for which she was glad; she liked Julia, and was very sorry she was going in d

good letter?

we must get on with the cookin

lf in English, "It is so well done, too," she said; "never a word

well given; it is quite possible, had she lived at the time, she would have been one of those who objec

oven at the right heat; then, giving some necessary directions, she left the servant to wat

awson-Clew,

ever for a moment thought of it myself, though I oug

t me, I am all right and

to see how he had signed himself

very si

Polki

ed; "H. F.-H.-Henry, Horace-I shouldn't t

quite unnecessary; the refusal went without saying; she would no more have dreamed of accepting his quixotic offer than he would have dreamed of avoiding the necessity of making

ps he would think the definite word m

n with the excursion, but we can't, you know. The

her, and she congratulated herself that he had not seen her. However, the congratulations were premature; when she came back from the post she found him standing just inside the gate waiti

an effrontery she did not feel. "I expect Denah has told you al

d, and parted the high bushes th

ed by an eight foot hedge with only one opening besides the way by which they had come in through the looser-growing bushes. Julia made her way down to the opening; with her practical eye for such things, she recognised that it would be the best way of escape, just as the lo

ed, at least if it were found out; that's the biggest crime on their list-and what I knew your people would condemn utterly. I am afraid I have no excuse to offer; I knew what I was doing, and I did it with my eyes open. I did not see any harm in it myself but I knew other people wou

e question was asked

ove and love-making and kissing and cuddling. I have just liked talking to him and I suppose he liked talking to me, as you might some friend, or Dena

that it is you who are right and we who are wrong-you who know good and evil and can choose, we who suspect an

n wrong in quite the way your parents think, but I was wrong all the same. I am not good, believe me; I

full of a twisty varied knowledge, a creature of another world. She felt that

t he recognised only w

me a beaco

nah's jealousy was not after all w

g light you had better hear something about me. Do you know why

me into his face, as into the face of a child unjustly smitten. But she went on resolutely: "I heard of it in

id slowly; "but you h

x times over

ou hav

ould never understand, and it does not matter. The thing t

y very greatly," he said i

came here to steal; I go away because I am found out to have dece

d; "I understand nothing but that

You think you love what you think I am. But I am not that; it is all

ered; "it is still the l

peated, "it h

you are, and all they say you are, and many worse

e. But she drew back against the hedge, clasping her hands together, her calmness all g

emotion. "I will take care of you," he sa

her recovered calmness, in the very gentleness of her manner. "You cannot," she said sadly;

would very soon see you in your true light, and for t

almost of two races; we are night and day, oil and water, black and white. It would never do; we should be on the out

ng," he said,

"if two people do not talk the sam

ittle, so that you hardly know it, but it is enough-if you have the least to give that would do; I would do all the r

most ventured to take her hand in his. She felt herself inwardly shrink from him with the repulsion that young wild

aid very gently;

al; he drew back a pace, and because he never said one wor

so hard! Joost, dear Joost, you must not mind; I am not half good

e turned and fle

The letter, of course, would have occupied her some time; she had gone out probably to meet the writer-the maid never for a moment doubted him to be the sharer of yesterday's escapade. She hear

her heart ached for Joost and for the tangle things were in, but that did not prevent her attending to details when she once set to work. At last she had everything done, even her hat and coat ready

he looked at him, and saw him, his appearance, his small mannerisms, himself in fact, a voice inside her cried down the aching pity, saying, "I could not do it, I could not do it!" But when she was alone in the little room with the door shut between, the pity grew strong again till it almost we

ot it down the narrow staircase between them and into the hall; Julia glanced back at the white marble kitchen for the last time, and at the dim little sitting-room. Vrouw Van Heigen was there, very m

Mevrouw,"

she remembered what was du

forget that last lot of peach-brandy we made, it was not properly

y, "thank you, thank you, I'll see to it; it will

tart either; all the same he came to the door to tell the driver to be careful not to go on the grass. Joost came also and look

" he said. "I will go after him too and shut

im and pulled up, though it is doubtful if he got any order or, indeed, any word. Julia had been looking back, but from the other side; and because she had

the carriage, she turned. "Do not weep

she said; "so d

be," he told her;

ou have almost taught me-though you don't know it-some goodne

d you not sooner know the fine even though you cannot attain to it, than be content with the li

ent at a loss, and she had n

. "It is, perhaps, not much to some, but I would like you to ha

re was something choking in her throat; it was this strange, humble, disintereste

as not till the gateway was passed that she realised what it was she held-a small bag made of the greyish-brown pa

ndrus Azureum V