'  I  mean  what  I  say.'

1  Why,  do  you  mean  that  I  have  ever  encouraged '

'  Miss  Spenceley  ?     /,  bewahre  !     No.     But '

'  I  shall  do  you  some  serious  bodily  injury  if  you  don't  curb
your  boundless  impertinence.  Do  you  mean  that  I  ever
encouraged  my  mother's  scheme  in  any  way  ? '

'  Can't  say.  I've  done.  Adieu  ! '  said  Hugo,  going  out
of  the  room,  and  singing  in  an  insultingly  loud  voice —

'  Willst  du  dein  Herz  mir  schenken,
So  fang'  es  heimlich  an  ! '


CHAPTER    XI.
'  Opportunity   is   always  golden  and  beautiful.      It   is  the  use  it  is
sometimes  put  to  that  is — imperfect.'

Sebastian  did  not  find  any  opportunity  that  afternoon  for
carrying  out  his  purpose.  He  was  fully  occupied ;  so  was
Adrienne,  and  he  was  forced  to  see  her,  half  an  hour  before
he  could  leave  himself,  walk  away  alone  in  the  direction  of
Blake  Street,  without  having  been  able  to  exchange  a  word
with  her.  This  annoyed  him,  and  made  him  feel  nervous
and  anxious.  Three  months  ago  he  would,  without  any
inordinate  vanity,  have  felt  almost  secure  of  being  accepted
if  he  proposed  to  Adrienne  ;  now  he  felt  very  far  from  sure
of  it.  The  unpleasant  scene  with  Mrs.  Mallory  left  him  de-
termined to  wait  no  longer,  no  more  to  '  fear  his  fate  too
much,'  but  '  to  put  it  to  the  touch,  and  win  or  lose  it  all,'
that  very  day,  be  it  early  or  late.
Accordingly,  he  returned  home  after  the  meeting,  dined
alone  before  the  usual  time,  and,  knowing  that  Adrienne
was  usually  at  home  about  half-past  seven,  set  off  a  little
after  seven.
