Walter Joyce would go to London, would
there resume his newspaper occupations,
and would probably, as she guessed from
occasional hints he had recently let fall,
turn his attention more to politics than he
had hitherto done. He must be clever, she
thought! She knew him to be clever in
a woman's notion of cleverness, which was
so different to a man's; but he must surely
be clever in a man's way too, or they would
never have offered him this Berlin appointment,
which, according to her notions, required
not merely a bright literary style,
but in a far greater degree the faculty of
observation and knowledge of the world.
His experience had been very small, but his
natural ability and natural keenness must
be great. Granted his possession of these
gifts, pushed as he would be by her influence
—for she intended to give him some
excellent introductions—there was little
doubt of his success in life, and of his
speedily achieving a position which would
warrant her in accepting him—in accepting
him? Lady Caroline laughed outright,
rather a hard bitter laugh as this idea
crossed her mind, at the remembrance that
Walter Joyce had never said the slightest
word, or shown the smallest sign, that he
cared for her as—as she wished to be cared
for by him, much less that he ever aspired
to her hand. However, let that pass!
What was to be, would be, and there was
plenty of time to think of such things.
Meanwhile, it was decidedly satisfactory
that the engagement was broken off
between him and that girl, whom Lady
Caroline had been accustomed to regard as
a simple country wench, a bread-and-butter
miss, but who cetrainly had done her jilting
with a coolness and aplomb, worthy of a
London beauty in her third season. She
would have been a drag on Walter's life;
for, although ambitious to a degree, and
always wanting to rise beyond her sphere,
she would have induced him to persevere
at his work, and have encouraged him to
great efforts; yet, according to Lady
Caroline's idea, fame could not be achieved
when a man was surrounded by babies
requiring to be fed, and other domestic
drawbacks, and had not merely himself but a
large family to drag up the hill of difficulty,
ere eminence was attained. Now Walter
would be really free, even from mental ties,
Lady Caroline thought, with a half sigh,
and if he were ever to do anything worthy
of himself, the beginning at least should be
now.

The conversation with Lady Caroline
Mansergh had not merely the effect of
diverting Walter Joyce's thoughts from the
contemplation of his own unhappiness, for
the time being, but rousing within him
certain aspirations which he had scarcely
ever previously entertained, and which,
when they had occasionally arisen in his
mind, he had successfully endeavoured to
stifle and ignore. No doubt the advice
which Lady Caroline had given him was
most excellent and should be followed.
There was a future before him, and a
brilliant one! He would prove to Marian
(already his feelings towards her were
beginning to change)—he would prove to
Marian that his life was not made utterly
blank on account of her cruel treatment;
on the contrary, he would try and achieve
some end and position, such as he would
never have aspired to if he had remained
in the calm jog-trot road of life he had
planned for himself. He would go to
London, to old Byrne, and see whether
instead of being sent to Berlin he could not
be received on the staff of the paper in
London, and he would turn his attention to
politics: old Byrne would be of immense
use to him there, and he would study and
work night and day. Anything to get on,
anything to become distinguished, to make
a name!

His decision once taken, Joyce lost no
time in communicating it to Lord Hetherington.
He said that circumstances of
great family importance necessitated his
immediate return to London, and would
require all the attention he could bestow
on them for many months to come. Lord
Hetherington was a little taken aback by
the suddenness of the announcement, but as
he had always had a kindly feeling towards
Joyce, and since the day of the ice accident
he had regarded him with especial favour,
he put the best face he could on the occasion,
and expressed his great regret at his
secretary's intended departure. His lordship
begged that when Mr. Joyce had any
leisure time at his disposal he would call
upon him at Hetherington House, where
they would be always glad to see him; and
Joyce trusted that if ever his lordship
thought that he (Joyce) could be useful to
him in anyway, more especially as connected
with the Chronicles with which he was so
familiar, he would do him the honour to
send for him, through Mr. Byrne, who
would always know his address. And thus
they parted, after the interview, with
mutual expressions of goodwill.

This was a little excitement for Lord