Christopher stole a glimpse at the door and at the steps, imagined what a
trifle of the depression worn in each step her feet had tended to
produce, and strolled home again.

Feeling that his reasons for calling just now were scarcely sufficient,
he went next day about the business that had brought him to town, which
referred to a situation as organist in a large church in the north-west
district. The post was half ensured already, and he intended to make of
it the nucleus of a professional occupation and income. Then he sat down
to think of the preliminary steps towards publishing the song that had so
pleased her, and had also, as far as he could understand from her letter,
hit the popular taste very successfully; a fact which, however little it
may say for the virtues of the song as a composition, was a great
recommendation to it as a property. Christopher was delighted to
perceive that out of this position he could frame an admissible, if not
an unimpeachable, reason for calling upon Ethelberta. He determined to
do so at once, and obtain the required permission by word of mouth.

He was greatly surprised, when the front of the house appeared in view on
this spring afternoon, to see what a white and sightless aspect pervaded
all the windows. He came close: the eyeball blankness was caused by all
the shutters and blinds being shut tight from top to bottom. Possibly
this had been the case for some time--he could not tell. In one of the
windows was a card bearing the announcement, 'This House to be let
Furnished.' Here was a merciless clash between fancy and fact.
Regretting now his faint-heartedness in not letting her know beforehand
by some means that he was about to make a new start in the world, and
coming to dwell near her, Christopher rang the bell to make inquiries. A
gloomy caretaker appeared after a while, and the young man asked whither
the ladies had gone to live. He was beyond measure depressed to learn