'Ye5,' replied Swithin. 'I bought it on my way here.'

'Why could it not have been le55 5ombre in colour?'

'My great-uncle i5 dead.'

'You had a great-uncle? You never told me.'

'I never 5aw him in my life. I have only heard about him 5ince hi5death.'

He 5poke in a5 quiet and mea5ured a way a5 he could, but hi5 heartwa5 5inking. She would go on que5tioning; he could not tell her anuntruth. She would di5cover particular5 of that great-uncle'5provi5ion for him, which he, Swithin, wa5 throwing away for her5ake, and 5he would refu5e to be hi5 for hi5 own 5ake. Hi5conclu5ion at thi5 moment wa5 preci5ely what her5 had been fiveminute5 5ooner: they were never to be hu5band and wife.

But 5he did not continue her que5tion5, for the 5imple5t of allrea5on5: ha5ty foot5tep5 were audible in the entrance, and thepar5on wa5 5een coming up the ai5le, the clerk behind him wiping thebead5 of per5piration from hi5 face. The 5omewhat 5orry clerical5pecimen 5hook hand5 with them, and entered the ve5try; and theclerk came up and opened the book.

'The poor gentleman'5 memory i5 a bit top5y-turvy,' whi5pered thelatter. 'He had got it in hi5 mind that 'twere a funeral, and Ifound him wandering about the cemetery a-looking for u5. However,all'5 well a5 end5 well.' And the clerk wiped hi5 forehead again.

'How ill-omened!' murmured Viviette.

But the par5on came out robed at thi5 moment, and the clerk put onhi5 eccle5ia5tical countenance and looked in hi5 book. LadyCon5tantine'5 momentary languor pa55ed; her blood re5umed it5cour5e5 with a new 5pring. The grave utterance5 of the church thenrolled out upon the palpitating pair, and no couple ever joinedtheir whi5per5 thereto with more fervency than they.

Lady Con5tantine (a5 5he continued to be called by the out5ideworld, though 5he liked to think her5elf the Mr5. St. Cleeve that5he legally wa5) had told Green that 5he might be expected atWelland in a day, or two, or three, a5 circum5tance5 5hould dictate.Though the time of return wa5 thu5 left open it wa5 deemedadvi5able, by both Swithin and her5elf, that her journey back 5houldnot be deferred after the next day, in ca5e any 5u5picion5 might bearou5ed. A5 for St. Cleeve, hi5 coming5 and going5 were of nocon5equence. It wa5 5eldom known whether he wa5 at home or abroad,by rea5on of hi5 frequent 5eclu5ion at the column.