"She could not do it."

James Froyte, as he heard the words, drew a breath of relief.

"Oh, but why not?" said Kyra, eagerly. "I can get ready quite easily by to-morrow. I have all the clothes I want: and, if I had not, I could get them in London or wherever we are going. Please, please do not hesitate. Is it too late to telegraph to-night?"

Stracey sighed.

"I was afraid that you would say it was possible," he said, regretfully. "Well, I have given my promise. If you are quite sure, I will wire to-morrow morning-that will be in plenty of time—and you and I can go up by the midday train-"

Mrs. Froyte had risen and picked up the cup and saucer. They fell from her hand with a crash.

James Froyte uttered an exclamation, and Stracey turned and looked at them with a peculiar expression in his eyes. Mrs. Froyte was as white as death and stood trembling, her eyes fixed, as if in terror.

"I must have knocked your arm," said Stracey, softly. "Don't trouble to pick up the pieces; the maid will do it. How nervous you are: you ought to take iron; there are one or two very good preparations; I must get you one. As I was saying, Kyra and I could go up by the midday train-" "Not alone," said James Froyte and his wife, in one voice. Perhaps Mrs. Froyte would be so kind as to come with "said Kyra.

us,

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Stracey leant back with languid, half-closed eyes; there was silence for a moment, then he looked up and said, as smoothly as usual:

"Certainly. You will be very pleased, will you not? You have not been quite strong enough for travelling, lately; but perhaps Mrs. Malcolm would ask you to stay the night and see them off in the morning; in fact, she seems so kind and considerate a woman that I am sure she will. Will you go with us?"

She stooped and picked up some of the larger fragments of the china, as if mechanically, then her lips formed a silent "Yes," and she went into the house; but James Froyte still leant against the wall, listening to Stracey's smooth, suave voice; and, as he listened, his lips twitched and his hands gripped each other convulsively behind his back.

CHAPTER XIX.

KYRA began her preparations that evening. Her heart was somewhat lightened of its load by the prospect of leaving the Elms, of going out into the world and earning her own living; if it were not for the thought of Lance le Breton, of her failure to fulfil her part of the contract, she could almost have been happy; and her gratitude to Stracey for having found her some employment, for permitting her to leave them, well-nigh made her forget her dislike and distrust of

him.

At first she was inclined to pack only her simplest dresses; but it occurred to her that Mrs. Malcolm would probably expect her to wear evening frocks; and, in the end, she packed nearly everything she possessed. When she came to her jewellery, she hesitated over the diamond bracelet which Stracey had given her. She would have liked to return it, but she knew that he would be offended if she offered to do so, and so she put it in her case with her other things.

It was late when she got to bed; but she slept more soundly than she had done for some time past, and she woke well and in good spirits. Very little was said at breakfast about her coming departure; but she did not expect an allusion to it, for she was accustomed to the reticent manner of the Froytes. Mrs. Froyte was more silent even than usual, and did not seem hurt or surprised when, offering to assist Kyra in her packing, Kyra informed her that it was done and that she was practically quite ready to start.

After breakfast Kyra put on her hat.

"I am going up to Holmby Hall," she said. "I want to say good-bye to Lady May."

Stracey was just leaving the room; but he heard her, and paused.

"Of course," he said, pleasantly. "By the way, Kyra, I don't think I would tell her, or any one, any particulars of your engagement. I mean, the lady's name, or, in fact, anything about the business. You may not suit each other, you may not like her at first sight; and if you should not, and the affair came to nothing, you would have all the trouble and annoyance of explaining its failure. Don't you see?"

"I see," said Kyra. "I will only tell Lady May that I think I am going abroad."

"Quite so," he said, with a nod of approval.

As Kyra was going quickly along the high-road, she met Doctor Graham driving his high dog-cart; and he pulled up and raised his hat, and looked at her with kindly and professional scrutiny.

"Good-morning, Miss Jermyn!" he said. "I won't ask you how you are, for I can see for myself. You are looking in the pink of health this morning."

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"I am quite well," said Kyra, looking up at him with a faint blush, her eyes shining brightly. "I am so glad I have met you; for I can say good-bye. I mean that I should have been so sorry to have gone without saying it. I am going abroad, Doctor Graham."

"Oh," he said, "that's rather sudden, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. I only knew last night.'

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I don't quite know," she replied. "I am going travelling with a lady.

"It is the best thing you could do," he said, emphatically. "I shall hear from the Froytes how you are going on. Take that medicine with you-but, mind! you are never to take more than the proper dose. Good-bye, and happiness go with you!"

He bent down and held out his hand and shook hers, nodding with pleasant encouragement. Kyra went on her way still more cheerfully, and, as she came in sight of the lodge, she saw Lady May running down the drive.

"You dear girl! You were coming to see me!" May panted.

"Yes; I have come to say good-bye," said Kyra, gently and a little wistfully.

"Good-bye!" echoed May. "Why, where are you going?— on a visit?"

"A kind of visit," replied Kyra, wishing that she could tell May everything, as she would have done but for Stracey's ad"I am going abroad-on the Continent-with a lady. It is quite sudden, or I would have told you before. I am going to-day, by the twelve o'clock train.""

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"To-day!" cried May, her face downcast, her eyes full of dismay. Oh, I am so sorry! But it's always the way! If ever I get fond of anything, it goes away or dies. There's Lance! Nobody knows how fond I was of him; and he's gone. And now there's you-and you don't know how fond

am of you, Kyra, dear-and now you're going. It is too bad. I shall miss you terribly-I've never been so fond of anyone-and there's no other girl-friend I care for. How

long are you going to be away? I do hope you are coming back soon.

Kyra bit her lip: she hated all this secrecy and evasion.

"I am not sure; I cannot tell," she replied. "I may be away some time or I may come back soon; but, however long I may be away, I shall not forget you, May; for I am very fond of you, and I have no one, absolutely no one, but you. May sighed and put her arm round Kyra's waist.

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"I was coming to see you this morning, dear," she said. "I've had a letter from Lance-a ship letter.

Kyra started slightly and turned her face away so that May should not see the blush that rose to it.

"It's only a short letter," said May "And he writes as if he were awfully down in the mouth about something. I expect he hates leaving England and all of us. And isn't it funny?-almost half the letter is about you."

Kyra could not speak.

"Yes; he wants me to write and tell him how you are and all the news about you; and he says that you and I ought to ride together a great deal; that it would be good for me, because you ride so well-he never found fault with my riding before and I'm to teach you to fish and to persuade you to come up to the Hall as much as possible; and he says that when I see you next I am to tell you that he hasn't forgotten his dance with you and that he hopes you won't forget it. I declare "-she laughed and pressed Kyra to_her-“I'm half inclined to be jealous. But it's all no use-I mean the riding and the fishing and the rest of it-now that you are going away," she added, sadly.

Kyra's heart was beating fast and she had hard work to keep her voice steady.

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It is very kind of Mr. le Breton," she said, in a tone which seemed cold because of her effort to suppress her emotion. "Will you thank him for me when you are writing to him, and tell him that I have forgotten-nothing, nothing of his kindness to me? Of course, you will tell him that I have gone abroad. And now I am afraid I must go, May,

dear."

Though they were in the open road, May put her arms round Kyra's neck and kissed her with a suspicious little sound in her throat and her great girlish eyes full of tears.

"Oh, I am so sorry, so sorry!'' she said. "But come back soon, Kyra! And write to me, mind! Don't go away and forget me, like an ordinary girl. But you won't do that; you are not like other girls. I know that, somehow, though I've

only known you for a little while. But I've known you long enough to love you, Kyra, dear; and I feel as badly as when dear old Lance went."

Kyra drew the girl's head to her bosom and kissed her lovingly, and in a voice that faltered, whispered:

Don't be afraid that I shall forget you, May.

The love is not all on one side, believe me. You came to me when I was alone, and—and wanted a friend. And I am grateful to you and as sorry to part with you as you are to part with me. Let me go now, dear- Ah, don't cry, May! Good-bye!"

The tears were in her own eyes as, at last, she tore herself away; and it was some minutes before she was able to look back, with a smile, and wave her handkerchief to May, who stood by the lodge gate openly mopping her eyes.

The lunch was on the table and Mrs. Froyte was already dressed for the journey, though there was plenty of time. The woman appeared to be in a state of nervous excitement, though she endeavored to conceal it under a stolid and apathetic manner. Kyra ran up and finished her packing and her boxes were brought down to the hall. She would have refused any luncheon; but Mrs. Froyte insisted upon her eating something.

"You have a long journey before you; you are excited now; you may not be able to get anything to eat for some time," she said.

"Quite right," said Stracey. "But like Kyra, I do not feel very hungry. I'll take a biscuit and a soda-and-whiskey. You'd better put something in your bag," he added to Mrs. Froyte.

Presently the fly drove up and Kyra went about saying good-bye. She gave a little present to each of the servants and shook hands with them; then turning to James Froyte, who had been hovering about all the morning, in a nervous, purposeless way.

"Good-bye, Mr. Froyte," she said, in a low voice. "I want to thank you for all your kindness to me. Greater kindness than I was aware of, than I understood, until-until the other night; but I do not know how to thank you enough. I will write and tell you how I get on, how I like my-situation." She laughed softly, but James Froyte winced and his pale face went red in blotches.

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'Yes; write-write to me soon," he said, huskily.

"As soon as she can," said Stracey, suavely, and with a smile. "We must not expect to hear from her too quickly; she will, no doubt, have a great deal to do. And it is never