Then there was silence. With his back turned to Mr. Manners, Mark Inglefield debated with himself. He knew that the matters to which Mr. Manners referred would not bear investigation, and that he was in danger of the criminal dock; he knew that Mr. Manners would show him no mercy. He shrugged his shoulders savagely, and said: "What do you call a competence?" "It shall be decided between you and my lawyers at three o'clock to-morrow afternoon, by which time they will have received my instructions. You have barely half a minute to arrive at a decision. I am inexorable." "I accept your offer," said Mark Inglefield. "You will find Miss Parkinson in her father's home. There must be no delay. Farewell." At nine o'clock the following morning Mr. Manners sat at breakfast with Kingsley, Nansie, and Hester. There were no traces of fatigue on Mr. Manners's face; on the contrary, it looked fresh and young. A new and better life was before him. Mr. Loveday, the good old book-man, kept purposely away; he would not intrude upon a meeting which he deemed had something sacred in it. And indeed it had. Hearts that should never have been separated were united, and love shone within the little room. It was a humble meal, but the sweetest that Mr. Manners had tasted for many, many years. Nansie's face was bright, and now and then her lips were wreathed in happy smiles, and now and then her eyes were filled with tears. And so we leave them. Flowers are blossoming; there is good in the future to be done. It may be, also, in the future, that Hester Manners and Timothy Chance may come together for weal or woe. Words have yet to be spoken, but in their hearts love has already found its nest. May their lives be as sweet and pure as the lives of Kingsley and Nansie! There will be manna for the hungry, and light will be shed upon the dark spaces of the East. THE END. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Toilers of Babylon, by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon