form beside him. At dinner, made dull by Hannaford's presence, he
lived still in the dream of his delight, listening only when Irene
spoke, speaking only when she addressed him, which she did several
times. The meal over, he sought an excuse for spending the next hour
in the drawing-room; but Mrs. Hannaford, unconscious of any change
in his habits, offered no invitation, and he stole silently away.

He did not light his lamp, but sat in the dim afterglow till it
faded through dusk into dark. He sat without movement, in an
enchanted reverie. And when night had fallen, he suddenly threw off
his clothes and got into bed, where for hours he lay dreaming in
wakefulness.

He rose at eight the next morning, and would, under ordinary
circumstances, have taken a book till breakfast. But no book could
hold him, for he had already looked from the window, and in the
garden below had seen Irene. Panting with the haste he had made to
finish his toilet, he stepped towards her.

"Three hours' work already, I suppose," she said, as they shook
hands.

"Unfortunately, not one. I overslept myself."

"Come, that's reasonable! There's hope of you. Tell me about this
examination. What are the subjects?"

He expounded the matter as they walked up and down. It led to a
question regarding the possibilities of such a career as he had in
view.