But she was too indignant to let him go on, and for the rest of the drive she maintained a frigid attitude of offended dignity toward her indiscreet brother-in-law; and she repulsed him freezingly when he tried to kiss and be friends. On reaching the hotel, she ran quickly up-stairs, anxious to find her husband and prove to William that she had not overestimated his devotion. But in neither room was he to be found. On her dressing-room table, however, she discovered a note directed to her in her husband’s handwriting. She tore it open; but she was for some minutes too much excited and frightened to read it. It ran as follows: “MY DARLING ANNIE,--I dont know whether you will think I am doing something very wrong and cruel or whether you wont care a straw. I am going away though I love you with all my heart just as much as ever and it hurts me awfully not to say goodby to you even but if I did I know you would ask me to stay and I cant do that and be a loafer and live on your money you would be quite right to despise me if I did and say I was nothing but an idler like I used to be. I am going to work. I dont know quite what I am going to do but I cannot try any what are called gentlemanly occupations because you know I would be so bad at them but I will make some money somehow and I wont steel it I promise you that but you must not be too particular how I make it as long as it is honestly--will you now. I have paid the bill and gone to your old lodging and paid the rent for a week and the gloves will be sent tonight and I leave you all the money I can to go on with. I am going to see you act tonight and I know you will be successfull becaus you are so clever and so pretty and all the men will try to turn your head but dont let them my darling Annie becaus all the time I am working for you and mean to get rich for you--and now you see I love you so and only go away becaus I do. I think you will try not to like _anybody_ else--but to think how I can be nice to you and make you happy even though I am not clever like some of the men you know. I dont know exactly where I am going just at first--but if you write to me and give your letters to Stephen I shall get them and he will let you know how I get on. You will not see me again yet because it would knock me over just at first and I know you would not like what I am going to do and you might talk me out of it. But I shall see you very often you may be sure as long as I have a shilling to go in the gallery with “Your ever loving husband “HARRY.” She found a sovereign inside the letter and the hotel-bill receipted. She did not cry, but went into the sitting-room where William was waiting for her. “Annie, you are ill! You are so white! You have overexcited yourself. Sit down and let me get you some brandy-and-water.” “No, no, I am not ill. You were quite right, William; Harry has left me already.”