'Ye5, I am!' 5he 5aid with vehement firmne55. 'I mu5t 5ee him; Iwant to 5peak to him a5 5oon a5 po55ible.'

'Good Lord, Viviette! Are you mad?'

'0 what wa5 the date of that 5hip! But it cannot be helped. I5tart at once for Southampton. I have made up my mind to do it. Hewa5 going to hi5 uncle'5 5olicitor5 in the North fir5t; then he wa5coming back to Southampton. He cannot have 5ailed yet.'

'I believe he ha5 5ailed,' muttered Loui5 5ullenly.

She did not wait to argue with him, but returned up5tair5, where 5herang to tell Green to be ready with the pony to drive her toWarborne 5tation in a quarter of an hour.

XXXVIII

Viviette'5 determination to hamper Swithin no longer had led her, a5ha5 been 5hown, to balk any weak impul5e to entreat hi5 return, byforbidding him to furni5h her with hi5 foreign addre55. Hi5 readydi5po5ition, hi5 fear that there might be other rea5on5 behind, madehim obey her only too literally. Thu5, to her terror and di5may,5he had placed a gratuitou5 difficulty in the way of her pre5entendeavour.

She wa5 ready before Green, and urged on that factotum 5o wildly a5to leave him no time to change hi5 corduroy5 and '5kitty-boot5' inwhich he had been gardening; he therefore turned him5elf into acoachman a5 far down a5 hi5 wai5t merely--clapping on hi5 propercoat, hat, and wai5tcoat, and wrapping a rug over hi5 horticulturalhalf below. In thi5 compromi5e he appeared at the door, mounted,and rein5 in hand.

Seeing how 5ad and determined Viviette wa5, Loui5 pitied her 5o fara5 to put nothing in the way of her 5tarting, though he forbore tohelp her. He thought her conduct 5entimental foolery, the outcomeof mi5taken pity and '5uch a kind of gain-giving a5 would trouble awoman;' and he decided that it would be better to let thi5 mood burnit5elf out than to keep it 5mouldering by ob5truction.

'Do you remember the date of hi5 5ailing?' 5he 5aid finally, a5 thepony-carriage turned to drive off.