[Illustration: _Frontispiece._ _Her face turned towards the window._] ARMOREL OF LYONESSE A Romance of To-day BY WALTER BESANT AUTHOR OF 'ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS OF MEN' [Illustration] A NEW EDITION _WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS BY FRED. BARNARD_ London CHATTO & WINDUS, PICCADILLY 1891 _The Illustrations to this Story are reproduced by kind permission of the Proprietors of 'The Illustrated London News'_ CONTENTS _PART I._ CHAPTER PAGE I. THE CHILD OF SAMSON 1 II. PRESENTED BY THE SEA 11 III. IN THE BAR PARLOUR 17 IV. THE GOLDEN TORQUE 23 V. THE ENCHANTED ISLAND 35 VI. THE FLOWER-FARM 45 VII. A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 56 VIII. THE VOYAGERS 62 IX. THE LAST DAY BUT ONE 69 X. MR. FLETCHER RETURNS FOR HIS BAG 80 XI. ROLAND'S LETTER 86 XII. THE CHANGE 91 XIII. ARMOREL'S INHERITANCE 95 _PART II._ I. SWEET COZ 115 II. THE SONATA 122 III. THE CLEVEREST MAN IN LONDON 127 IV. MASTER OF ALL THE ARTS 134 V. ONLY A SIMPLE SERVICE 139 VI. THE OTHER STUDIO 148 VII. A CANDID OPINION 153 VIII. ALL ABOUT MYSELF 160 IX. TO MAKE HIM HAPPY 166 X. THE SECRET OF THE TWO PICTURES 173 XI. A CRITIC ON TRUTH 178 XII. TO MAKE THAT PROMISE SURE 186 XIII. THE DRAMATIST 192 XIV. AN HONOURABLE PROPOSAL 198 XV. NOT TWO MEN, BUT ONE 201 XVI. THE PLAY AND THE COMEDY 205 XVII. THE NATIONAL GALLERY 217 XVIII. CONGRATULATIONS 223 XIX. WHAT NEXT? 229 XX. A RECOVERY AND A FLIGHT 235 XXI. ALL LOST BUT---- 242 XXII. THE END OF WORLDLY TROUBLES 254 XXIII. THE HOUR OF TRIUMPH 264 XXIV. THE CUP AND THE LIP 267 XXV. TO FORGET IT ALL 280 XXVI. NOT THE HEIR, AFTER ALL 288 XXVII. THE DESERT ISLAND 292 XXVIII. AT HOME 299 XXIX. THE TRESPASS OFFERING 306 ARMOREL OF LYONESSE _PART I_ CHAPTER I THE CHILD OF SAMSON