than eleven days--for her personal private holiday. Much of her recent
intercourse with Mr. Mudge had consisted of the hopes and fears,
expressed mainly by himself, involved in the question of their getting
the same dates--a question that, in proportion as the delight seemed
assured, spread into a sea of speculation over the choice of where and
how. All through July, on the Sunday evenings and at such other odd
times as he could seize, he had flooded their talk with wild waves of
calculation. It was practically settled that, with her mother, somewhere
"on the south coast" (a phrase of which she liked the sound) they should
put in their allowance together; but she already felt the prospect quite
weary and worn with the way he went round and round on it. It had become
his sole topic, the theme alike of his most solemn prudences and most
placid jests, to which every opening led for return and revision and in
which every little flower of a foretaste was pulled up as soon as
planted. He had announced at the earliest day--characterising the whole
business, from that moment, as their "plans," under which name he handled
it as a Syndicate handles a Chinese or other Loan--he had promptly
declared that the question must be thoroughly studied, and he produced,
on the whole subject, from day to day, an amount of information that
excited her wonder and even, not a little, as she frankly let him know,
her disdain. When she thought of the danger in which another pair of
lovers rapturously lived she enquired of him anew why he could leave
nothing to chance. Then she got for answer that this profundity was just
his pride, and he pitted Ramsgate against Bournemouth and even Boulogne
against Jersey--for he had great ideas--with all the mastery of detail
that was some day, professionally, to carry him afar.

The longer the time since she had seen Captain Everard the more she was
booked, as she called it, to pass Park Chambers; and this was the sole
amusement that in the lingering August days and the twilights sadly drawn