"Have you had any tea, by the by?" he asked presently in a renewed

voice.

"No--yes--never mind," said Gillingham, preoccupied. "Gone, you say

she is?"

"Yes... I would have died for her; but I wouldn't be cruel to her

in the name of the law. She is, as I understand, gone to join her

lover. What they are going to do I cannot say. Whatever it may be

she has my full consent to."

There was a stability, a ballast, in Phillotson's pronouncement which

restrained his friend's comment. "Shall I--leave you?" he asked.

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"No, no. It is a mercy to me that you have come. I have some

articles to arrange and clear away. Would you help me?"

Gillingham assented; and having gone to the upper rooms the

schoolmaster opened drawers, and began taking out all Sue's things

that she had left behind, and laying them in a large box. "She

wouldn't take all I wanted her to," he continued. "But when I made

up my mind to her going to live in her own way I did make up my

mind."

"Some men would have stopped at an agreement to separate."

"I've gone into all that, and don't wish to argue it. I was, and

am, the most old-fashioned man in the world on the question of

marriage--in fact I had never thought critically about its ethics

at all. But certain facts stared me in the face, and I couldn't go

against them."

They went on with the packing silently. When it was done Phillotson

closed the box and turned the key.

"There," he said. "To adorn her in somebody's eyes; never again in

mine!"

V

Four-and-twenty hours before this time Sue had written the following

note to Jude:

It is as I told you; and I am leaving to-morrow evening.

Richard and I thought it could be done with less

obtrusiveness after dark. I feel rather frightened, and

therefore ask you to be sure you are on the Melchester

platform to meet me. I arrive at a little to seven. I

know you will, of course, dear Jude; but I feel so timid

that I can't help begging you to be punctual. He has

been so VERY kind to me through it all!

Now to our meeting!

S.

As she was carried by the omnibus farther and farther down from

the mountain town--the single passenger that evening--she regarded

the receding road with a sad face. But no hesitation was apparent

therein.




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