cried Frank's wife. “There's many a man gets no further than half-way, nor can't to save his life, let him live for ever.”

“Why, how do you know?” said Alfred.

“It's plain enough in th' looks o' some,” retorted Lizzie, his sister-in-law.

The youth stood with a faint, half-hearing smile on his face. He was tense and abstracted. These things, or anything, scarcely touched him.

Anna came down, in her day dress, very elusive. She kissed everybody, men and women, Will Brangwen shook hands with everybody, kissed his mother, who began to cry, and the whole party went surging out to the cab.

The young couple were shut up, last injunctions shouted at them.