'  We  shall  be  happy  to  see  you,  whenever  your  other  en-
gagements allow  you  to  call,'  said  Helena,  quite  coolly  and
distantly.  The  answer  chilled  him  and  stung  him,  and  yet
he  asked  himself,  what  more  would  he  have  had  her  say?

'You  say  you  are  so  very  busy,'  she  continued  remorse-
lessly, '  and  if  you  accept  this  invitation  to  stand,  and  if
Mr.  Lippincott  resigns,  which  I  suppose  he  really  intends
to  do  now,  and  the  election  comes  on,  your  time  will  indeed
be  fully  occupied.'

'  But  I  am  not  forbidden  to  come  when  I  have  time  ? '

'  Forbidden  !  Oh  no  !  As  I  said,  we  are  always  glad  to
see  our  friends.'

'  Good-bye,'  said  he.  '  Remember  you  are  answerable
for  the  step  I  am  going  to  take.'

'  You  say  so,  but  I  wonder  how  it  would  have  been  if  we
had  never  met,'  said  Helena,  carelessly.  They  shook  hands,
and  Sebastian  was  gone,  with  the  words  still  echoing  after  him :
'  I  wonder  how  it  would  have  been,  if  we  had  never  met ! '

'How  indeed?'  he  muttered  to  himself.  'And  how  is  it  to
be  now  that  we  have  met  ?  I  don't  know  how  it  will  end,  but
you  shall  look  at  me  differently  from  that,  Helena,  or '


CHAPTER    III.
IN  THE  RAIN.
It  was  more  than  three  weeks  later.  The  month  of  August
had  almost  come  to  its  close.  The  scene  was  again  the  bright
and  cheerful  city  of  Manchester,  on  one  of  its  typical  days.
