have seen, everyone was deserving of blame, except Georgiana. One moment William was marvelling that anyone could have misunderstood what to him was the simplest, most natural thing in the world, and the next had dropped back with despair into the thought: "She might have cared, if she had only known. And now she will not even have forgiven me for making Miss Kitty unhappy, and I have no chance of setting that right." "It is just like a ship that has run aground on a sandbank in the fog," mused William. "You can't do anything until it has cleared--at least, I can't. If she had refused me out and out, I would have gone down to Winchester and had another good try--a fellow who has only three months on shore to every nine at sea deserves that, I think--but I can't face her again as long as I can imagine her saying to herself, 'What about my poor Kitty?' Oh, what a blind fool I was, and how I wasted those ten days!" He was so deep in thought that in crossing a side street he almost ran into a gentleman who was going towards Portman Square. Recognition followed on the mutual apologies, and Mr. Knightley exclaimed: "Why, William! I am glad to see you again--if it can be called seeing in this atmosphere; I thought you were gone." "No, sir, but I sail to-morrow from Portsmouth: the _Medusa,_ you know. They altered our destination at the last minute." "And what is it to be?" "Nova Scotia first, sir; we are taking out a draft to increase the garrison there." "Lucky fellow that you are; you will have seen the whole world in a year or two. I'm afraid it sounds like a long absence this time, but you never mind that, do you?" "Well, sir--" William hesitated, then looked up with a frank smile--"it won't be any good, but for once in a way I wish I could get to a home station for a bit." Mr. Knightley waited, but perceiving that he was not to hear any more, said kindly: "Unless you are in a great hurry, come in and say good-bye to Mrs. Knightley; she would be sorry to miss you, especially as you are so near."