"I hope not, I hope not," said the old tanner, sadly, "for I liked Sage Portlock. She's a very good girl." "Bah! sir; nonsense! sir; women are not much good as a rule, and she's a very bad specimen. But, mark my words, sir, trouble, and misery, and misfortune. It will never be a happy match." And the prophet of evil went his way, leaving old Michael Ross to stand upon his own doorstep thinking. "Poor lass, I liked Sage; and though she has broken with my poor boy," he said, "she's not a bad girl at heart. Trouble, and misery, and misfortune--and all to come upon her poor weak head. Poor child--poor child. Luke will about break his heart. "Trouble, and misery, and misfortune," he repeated, sadly. "I hope not, from my very heart, but I'm afraid Stephen Fullerton is right." PART TWO, CHAPTER ONE. PART 2--"FORSAKING ALL OTHER." AFTER A LAPSE. The Lawford people were disappointed, for the Rector thought it better, and the Portlocks made no objection, that the wedding should be as simple as possible, so there were no preparations to signify, only such as were made in a quiet way, and Luke Ross read one morning in the `Times' that Cyril Mallow, second son of the Rev Eli Mallow, had espoused Sage, daughter of the late Elias Portlock, Esq, of Melby, and niece of Joseph Portlock, Esq, the Hall, Kilby, Lawford. He had a letter afterwards from his father, giving him fuller information, and saying that Lord Artingale was at the wedding, and Cyril Mallow's sisters were the bridesmaids, and that the young married people went off directly to Paris. That Frank Mallow had not gone back to Australia, and nobody knew when he would go. That Portlock the churchwarden had been very angry at having _Esquire_ put after his name in the announcements; that he was very friendly when he met the tanner in the market-place, and desired to be kindly remembered to Luke. The letter concluded with a hope that Luke would soon come down, but he was not to come unless he felt that he did not mind a bit; that they had a very pleasant little body for schoolmistress now, and that Humphrey Bone seemed just the same as ever, and that was all at present from Luke's affectionate father, Michael Ross. Not quite all at present, for there was a postscript stating that the Rector was a good deal in trouble about his eldest girl, who seemed to be getting in a bad way, but all the same, both she and her sister were engaged to be married. Luke Ross put the letter away in a drawer with a sigh, and turned to his reading working as hard as man could work, for in this he found his only relief from the troubled thoughts that oppressed him, while the change that had taken place in him in a few months was almost startling.