Half  absently,  Spenceley  began  to  collect  the  money  to-
gether that  his  father  had  given  him,  and  to  lay  it  out,  two
five-pound  notes  and  fifteen  sovereigns,  upon  the  window-
ledge  before  him.  He  looked  at  it  pensively,  and  Mr.  Hoyle's
little  sharp  eyes  were  fixed  with  a  sidelong  gaze,  full  of  in-
terest, upon  his  face.  Mr.  Hoyle  had  surveyed  the  prospect
to  more  purpose  than  Mr.  Spenceley,  and  was  very  anxious
that  the  latter  should  give  over  counting  out  his  money,
and  return  to  the  apparently  innocent  pursuit  of  looking  out
of  the  window,  which  he  presently  did.
He  plunged  his  hands  into  his  pockets,  and  gazed  out
again,  swaying  to  and  fro  from  his  toes  to  his  heels,  in  the
rhythmic  manner  common  to  persons  in  his  position.
Presently  the  rhythmic  movement  ceased.  Mr.  Spenceley's
attention  became  concentrated  on  outside  objects,  on  a
figure  some  two  hundred  yards  distant,  approaching  down
the  hill.  He  looked  at  her  as  she  came  along,  in  her  black
dress,  with  her  pale  face  and  her  warmly  tinted  hair.  He
hated  her  for  a  thousand  reasons,  and  because  she  looked
sad  and  lovely  at  once,  because  she  was  gentle  to  others  and
to  him  an  icicle ;  and  most  of  all,  because  he  had  made  a
great  mistake  about  her  in  his  gross,  clumsy,  blundering
way,  and  knew  now,  that  if  he  had  but  known  what  she  was
he  would  never  have  insulted  her,  but  would  have  tried  with
all  his  might,  though  he  was  not  clever,  to  become  good
enough  for  her.  But  she  had  prevented  that,  she  had  re-
fused him  the  faintest  chance  of  letting  her  know  that  he

repented,  and  by ,  he  thought  savagely,  he  did  not  repent.
