For love and honour Author:Francis Addison Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. A TOO HEAVY BURDEN. The next day Mr. Gerard Launce called upon me, and after recounting what had taken place between him and Josef, he asked m... more »e if I knew that he was actuated by a disinterested motive in quitting Miss Gordon. I was happy and glad to inform him that I was perfectly certain of his honour and freedom from sordid motives. He then asked me if I knew what it was that debarred Josef from marrying Miss Gordon. ' I can tell you nothing,' I said. ' I will ask you only one question, and to that you need reply but yes or no�Has he placed himself under an obligation to Sebastian Fleming ?' ' I cannot answer you, sir,' said I. ' You may be certain that in preserving his secret Josef has no purpose that is not governed by love and honour.' ' I will not press the question further,' he said. ' Your own silence and his convinces me that Josef has been enmeshed in the toils of that incomprehensible villain, Sebastian Fleming.' A few days later I received a letter from Josef; the letter came from Antwerp, and as there was no longer any necessity to conceal his location from Mr. Launce, I told him this. ' Poor fellow !' was all he said. The spring months were bitterly trying for delicate people. One day was hot, the next cold, and the wind kept with obstinate perseverance in the east. Amongst others Miss Gordon suffered. She took cold ; it lingered and finally settled upon her lungs. Then the cough which had alarmed Gerard the preceding spring distressed him again. He begged her to leave London until the weather became more genial; but she treated the cold as a matter of slight importance, and would not comply with his wish. She still expected Josef to return to her ; and yet there were times when the hope that had given her strength seemed t...« less