TOWARD sunset, Lady Holchester's carriage drew up before the gateof the cottage.

Three persons occupied the carriage: Lady Holchester, her eldestson (now Lord Holchester), and Sir Patrick Lundie.

"Will you wait in the carriage, Sir Patrick ?" said Julius. " Orwill you come in?"

"I will wait. If I can be of the least use to _her,_, send for meinstantly. In the mean time don't forget to make the stipulationwhich I have suggested. It is the one certain way of putting yourbrother's real feeling in this matter to the test."

The servant had rung the bell without producing any result. Herang again. Lady Holchester put a question to Sir Patrick.

"If I have an opportunity of speaking to my son's wife alone,"she said, "have you any message to give?"

Sir Patrick produced a little note.

"May I appeal to your ladyship's kindness to give her this?" Thegate was opened by the servant-girl, as Lady Holchester took thenote. "Remember," reiterated Sir Patrick, earnestly "if I can beof the smallest service to her--don't think of my position withMr. Delamayn. Send for me at once."

Julius and his mother were conducted into the drawing-room. Thegirl informed them that her master had gone up stairs to liedown, and that he would be with them immediately.

Both mother and son were too anxious to speak. Julius wandereduneasily about the room. Some books attracted his notice on atable in the corner--four dirty, greasy volumes, with a slip ofpaper projecting from the leaves of one of them, and containingthis inscription, "With Mr. Perry's respects." Julius opened thevolume. It was the ghastly popular record of Criminal Trials inEngland, called the Newgate Calendar. Julius showed it to hismother.

"Geoffrey's taste in literature!" he said, with a faint smile.

Lady Holchester signed to him to put the book back.

"You have seen Geoffrey's wife already--have you not?" she asked.

There was no contempt now in her tone when she referred to Anne.The impression produced on her by her visit to the cottage,earlier in the day, associated Geoffrey's wife with familyanxieties of no trivial kind. She might still (for Mrs. Glenarm'ssake) be a woman to be disliked--but she was no longer a woman tobe despised.

"I saw her when she came to Swanhaven," said Julius. "I agreewith Sir Patrick in thinking her a very interesting person."

"What did Sir Patrick say to you about Geoffrey thisafternoon--while I was out of the room?"

"Only what he said to _you._ He thought their position towardeach other here a very deplorable one. He considered that thereasons were serious for our interfering immediately."

"Sir Patrick's own opinion, Julius, goes farther than that."

"He has not acknowledged it, that I know of. "

"How _can_ he acknowledge it--to us?"

The door opened, and Geoffrey entered the room.

Julius eyed him closely as they shook hands. His eyes werebloodshot; his face was flushed; his utterance was thick--thelook of him was the look of a man who had been drinking hard.

"Well?" he said to his mother. "What brings you back?"

"Julius has a proposal to make to you," Lady Holchester answered."I approve of it; and I have come with him."

Geoffrey turned to his brother.

"What can a rich man like you want with a poor devil like me?" heasked.

"I want to do you justice, Geoffrey--if you will help me, bymeeting me half-way. Our mother has told you about the will?"

"I'm not down for a half-penny in the will. I expected as much.Go on."

"You are wrong--you _are_ down in it. There is liberal provisionmade for you in a codicil. Unhappily, my father died withoutsigning it. It is needless to say that I consider it binding onme for all that. I am ready to do for you what your father wouldhave done for you. And I only ask for one concession in return."

"What may that be?"

"You are living here very unhappily, Geoffrey, with your wife."

"Who says so? I don't, for one."

Julius laid his hand kindly on his brother's arm.

"Don't trifle with such a serious matter as this," he said. "Yourmarriage is, in every sense of the word, a misfortune--not onlyto you but to your wife. It is impossible that you can livetogether. I have come here to ask you to consent to a separation.Do that--and the provision made for you in the unsigned codicilis yours. What do you say?"

Geoffrey shook his brother's hand off his arm.

"I say--No!" he answered.

Lady Holchester interfered for the first time.

"Your brother's generous offer deserves a better answer thanthat," she said.

"My answer," reiterated Geoffrey, "is--No!"

He sat between them with his clenched fists resting on hisknees--absolutely impenetrable to any thing that either of themcould say.

"In your situation," said Julius, "a refusal is sheer madness. Iwon't accept it."

"Do as you like about that. My mind's made up. I won't let mywife be taken away from me. Here she stays."

The brutal tone in which he had made that reply roused LadyHolchester's indignation.

"Take care!" she said. "You are not only behaving with thegrossest ingratitude toward your brother--you are forcing asuspicion into your mother's mind. You have some motive that youare hiding from us."

He turned on his mother with a sudden ferocity which made Juliusspring to his feet. The next instant his eyes were on the ground,and the devil that possessed him was quiet again.

"Some motive I'm hiding from you?" he repeated, with his headdown, and his utterance thicker than ever. "I'm ready to have mymotive posted all over London, if you like. I'm fond of her."

He looked up as he said the last words. Lady Holchester turnedaway her head--recoiling from her own son. So overwhelming wasthe shock inflicted on her that even the strongly rootedprejudice which Mrs. Glenarm had implanted in her mind yielded toit. At that moment she absolutely pitied Anne!

"Poor creature!" said Lady Holchester.

He took instant offense at those two words. "I won't have my wifepitied by any body." With that reply, he dashed into the passage;and called out, "Anne! come down!"

Her soft voice answered; her light footfall was heard on thestairs. She came into the room. Julius advanced, took her hand,and held it kindly in his. "We are having a little familydiscussion," he said, trying to give her confidence. "AndGeoffrey is getting hot over it, as usual."

Geoffrey appealed sternly to his mother.

"Look at her!" he said. "Is she starved? Is she in rags? Is shecovered with bruises?" He turned to Anne. "They have come here topropose a separation. They both believe I hate you. I don't hateyou. I'm a good Christian. I owe it to you that I'm cut out of myfather's will. I forgive you that. I owe it to you that I've lostthe chance of marrying a woman with ten thousand a year. Iforgive you _that._ I'm not a man who does things by halves. Isaid it should be my endeavor to make you a good husband. I saidit was my wish to make it up. Well! I am as good as my word. Andwhat's the consequence? I am insulted. My mother comes here, andmy brother comes here--and they offer me money to part from you.Money be hanged! I'll be beholden to nobody. I'll get my ownliving. Shame on the people who interfere between man and wife!Shame!--that's what I say--shame!"

Anne looked, for an explanation, from her husband to herhusband's mother.

"Have you proposed a separation between us?" she asked.

"Yes--on terms of the utmost advantage to my son; arranged withevery possible consideration toward you. Is there any objectionon your side?"

"Oh, Lady Holchester! is it necessary to ask me? What does hesay?"

"He has refused."

"Refused!"

"Yes," said Geoffrey. "I don't go back from my word; I stick towhat I said this morning. It's my endeavor to make you a goodhusband. It's my wish to make it up." He paused, and then addedhis last reason: "I'm fond of you."

Their eyes met as he said it to her. Julius felt Anne's handsuddenly tighten round his. The desperate grasp of the frail coldfingers, the imploring terror in the gentle sensitive face as itslowly turned his way, said to him as if in words, "Don't leaveme friendless to-night!"

"If you both stop here till domesday," said Geoffrey, "you'll getnothing more out of me. You have had my reply."

With that, he seated himself doggedly in a corner of the room;waiting--ostentatiously waiting--for his mother and his brotherto take their leave. The position was serious. To argue thematter with him that night was hopeless. To invite Sir Patrick'sinterference would only be to provoke his savage temper to a newoutbreak. On the other hand, to leave the helpless woman, afterwhat had passed, without another effort to befriend her, was, inher situation, an act of downright inhumanity, and nothing less.Julius took the one way out of the difficulty that was left--theone way worthy of him as a compassionate and an honorable man.

"We will drop it for to-night, Geoffrey," he said. "But I am notthe less resolved, in spite of all that you have said, to returnto the subject to-morrow. It would save me some inconvenience--asecond journey here from town, and then going back again to myengagements--if I staid with you to-night. Can you give me abed?"

A look flashed on him from Anne, which thanked him as no wordscould have thanked him.

"Give you a bed?" repeated Geoffrey. He checked himself, on thepoint of refusing. His mother was watching him; his wife waswatching him--and his wife knew that the room above them was aroom to spare. "All right!" he resumed, in another tone, with hiseye on his mother. "There's my empty room up stairs. Have it, ifyou like. You won't find I've changed my mind to-morrow--butthat's your look-out. Stop here, if the fancy takes you. I've noobjection. It don't matter to Me.--Will you trust his lordshipunder my roof?" he added, addressing his mother. "I might havesome motive that I'm hiding from you, you know!" Without waitingfor an answer, he turned to Anne. "Go and tell old Dummy to putthe sheets on the bed. Say there's a live lord in thehouse--she's to send in something devilish good for supper!" Heburst fiercely into a forced laugh. Lady Holchester rose at themoment when Anne was leaving the room. "I shall not be here whenyou return," she said. "Let me bid you good-night."

She shook hands with Anne--giving her Sir Patrick's note, unseen,at the same moment. Anne left the room. Without addressinganother word to her second son, Lady Holchester beckoned toJulius to give her his arm. "You have acted nobly toward yourbrother," she said to him. "My one comfort and my one hope,Julius, are in you." They went out together to the gate, Geoffreyfollowing them with the key in his hand. "Don't be too anxious,"Julius whispered to his mother. "I will keep the drink out of hisway to-night--and I will bring you a better account of himto-morrow. Explain every thing to Sir Patrick as you go home."

He handed Lady Holchester into the carriage; and re-entered,leaving Geoffrey to lock the gate. The brothers returned insilence to the cottage. Julius had concealed it from hismother--but he was seriously uneasy in secret. Naturally prone tolook at all things on their brighter side, he could place nohopeful interpretation on what Geoffrey had said and done thatnight. The conviction that he was deliberately acting a part, inhis present relations with his wife, for some abominable purposeof his own, had rooted itself firmly in Julius. For the firsttime in his experience of his brother, the pecuniaryconsideration was not the uppermost consideration in Geoffrey'smind. They went back into the drawing-room. "What will you haveto drink?" said Geoffrey.

"Nothing."

"You won't keep me company over a drop of brandy-and-water?"

"No. You have had enough brandy-and-water."

After a moment of frowning self-consideration in the glass,Geoffrey abruptly agreed with Julius "I look like it," he said."I'll soon put that right." He disappeared, and returned with awet towel tied round his head. "What will you do while the womenare getting your bed ready? Liberty Hall here. I've taken tocultivating my mind---I'm a reformed character, you know, now I'ma married man. You do what you like. I shall read."

He turned to the side-table, and, producing the volumes of theNewgate Calendar, gave one to his brother. Julius handed it backagain.

"You won't cultivate your mind," he said, "with such a book asthat. Vile actions recorded in vile English, make vile reading,Geoffrey, in every sense of the word."

"It will do for me. I don't know good English when I see it."

With that frank acknowledgment--to which the great majority ofhis companions at school and college might have subscribedwithout doing the slightest injustice to the present state ofEnglish education--Geoffrey drew his chair to the table, andopened one of the volumes of his record of crime.

The evening newspaper was lying on the sofa. Julius took it up,and seated himself opposite to his brother. He noticed, with somesurprise, that Geoffrey appeared to have a special object inconsulting his book. Instead of beginning at the first page, heran the leaves through his fingers, and turned them down atcertain places, before he entered on his reading. If Julius hadlooked over his brother's shoulder, instead of only looking athim across the table, he would have seen that Geoffrey passed byall the lighter crimes reported in the Calendar, and marked forhis own private reading the cases of murder only.