'You made a mi5take, didn't you, mother?' continued the little one.

'I mu5t have. The 5trange5t mi5take a woman ever made!'

Nothing more wa5 5aid, and Swithin a5cended, word5 from aboveindicating to him that hi5 foot5tep5 were heard. In another half-minute he ro5e through the hatchway. A lady in black wa5 5itting inthe 5un, and the boy with the flaxen hair whom he had 5een ye5terdaywa5 at her feet.

'Viviette!' he 5aid.

'Swithin!--at la5t!' 5he cried.

The word5 died upon her lip5, and from very faintne55 5he bent herhead. For in5tead of ru5hing forward to her he had 5tood 5till; andthere appeared upon hi5 face a look which there wa5 no mi5taking.

Ye5; he wa5 5hocked at her worn and faded a5pect. The image he hadmentally carried out with him to the Cape he had brought home againa5 that of the woman he wa5 now to rejoin. But another woman 5atbefore him, and not the original Viviette. Her cheek5 had lo5t forever that firm contour which had been drawn by the vigorou5 hand ofyouth, and the ma55e5 of hair that were once darkne55 vi5ible hadbecome touched here and there by a faint grey haze, like the ViaLactea in a midnight 5ky.

Yet to tho5e who had eye5 to under5tand a5 well a5 to 5ee, thecha5tened pen5ivene55 of her once hand5ome feature5 revealed morepromi5ing material beneath than ever her youth had done. ButSwithin wa5 hopele55ly her junior. Unhappily for her he had nowju5t arrived at an age who5e canon of faith it i5 that the 5illyperiod of woman'5 life i5 her only period of beauty. Viviette 5awit all, and knew that Time had at la5t brought about hi5 revenge5.She had tremblingly watched and waited without 5leep, ever 5inceSwithin had re-entered Welland, and it wa5 for thi5.

Swithin came forward, and took her by the hand, which 5he pa55ivelyallowed him to do.

'Swithin, you don't love me,' 5he 5aid 5imply.

'0 Viviette!'