Geoffrey reflected rapidly.  The thing was ridiculous, and yet it was possible.  Beyond that brief line in answer to his letter, he had heard nothing from Beatrice.  Indeed he was waiting to hear from her before taking any further step.  But even supposing she were in London, where was he to look for her?  He knew that she had no money, he could not stay there long.  It occurred to him there was a train leaving Euston for Wales about four in the morning.  It was just possible that she might be in town, and returning by this train.  He told the cabman to drive to Euston Station, and on arrival, closely questioned a sleepy porter, but without satisfactory results.

Then he searched the station; there were no traces of Beatrice.  He did more; he sat down, weary as he was, and waited for an hour and a half, till it was time for the train to start.  There were but three passengers, and none of them in the least resembled Beatrice.

“It is very strange,” Geoffrey said to himself, as he walked away.  “I could have sworn that I felt her presence just for one second.  It must have been nonsense.  This is what comes of occult influences, and that kind of thing.  The occult is a nuisance.”

If he had only gone to Paddington!

CHAPTER XXVIII

I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

Beatrice drove back to Paddington, and as she drove, though her face did not change from its marble cast of woe the great tears rolled down it, one by one.

They reached the deserted-looking station, and she paid the man out of her few remaining shillings—­seeing that she was a stranger, he insisted upon receiving half-a-crown.  Then, disregarding the astonished stare of a night porter, she found her way to the waiting room, and sat down.  First she took the letter from her breast, and added some lines to it in pencil, but she did not post it yet; she knew that if she did so it would reach its destination too soon.  Then she laid her head back against the wall, and utterly outworn, dropped to sleep—­her last sleep upon this earth, before the longest sleep of all.

And thus Beatrice waited and slept at Paddington, while her lover waited and watched at Euston.

At five she woke, and the heavy cloud of sorrow, past, present, and to come, rushed in upon her heart.  Taking her bag, she made herself as tidy as she could.  Then she stepped outside the station into the deserted street, and finding a space between the houses, watched the sun rise over the waking world.  It was her last sunrise, Beatrice remembered.