A NEWMARKET STORY 



time from his lips count as speech. By and by the rattle begins 

 in the street once more as the current sets from the Heath. 

 Jess knows that the day's business and pleasure have come to 

 an end. 



Presently there is a loud knock at the street door below, 

 and a faint change of colour is perceptible on Jess's death-like 

 face. Her eyes turn with indescribable yearning — which he does 

 not understand — to Joe. He hears Rupert Ellis's and the trainer's 

 voices, as they come up the stairs, and goes out to meet them. 

 Jess's ears are strained to gather every sound through the thin 

 partition wall. 



* Hullo, Joe, what's come o' the toothache?' 



' Sh — sh ! Jess is very ill. Broken a blood-vessel, they say.' 



There was silence for the space of a few seconds, and Jess 

 breathed hard. 



' So bad as that, Joe. Poor little woman !' 



The trainer's voice was rough, but his tone was kindly. Jess 

 waited for another voice to speak, Joe burst out with hard 

 dry sobs, 



' She's a-going to die — my little Jess to whom I owes every- 

 thing since I was a little chap. I sha'n't never be no good for 

 anything more. O Lord ! O Lord !' 



Some one stirred the fire hastily. 



' Good God, man ! I saw the girl last night — you can't mean 

 it ! Does she know you won the race ? Tell her from me, Joe, 

 that she kept her word faithfully, and I mean to keep mine. 

 Give her this packet.' 



Jess turned and moaned. If he had known the cost of keep- 

 ing her word ! But he never would know ; and Jess pressed her 

 hand against her side to still the throbbings which took from the 

 short minutes left to her to live. Presently the two men went 

 down the stairs more cautiously and silently than they ascended. 

 Would he not pause at her door and make some sign, or speak 

 some word of farewell ? O God ! how bitter it was to lie there 

 helpless and hear his footsteps for the last time, and to know 

 that love for her was dead, and even pity was cold ! How softly 

 Jess smiled when Joe came back to her ! How unlike his her 

 face was growing ! 



' Joe, stoop down and listen. Joe, this is the end of the race, 

 I think. Never you and I neck-and-neck again. Never Jess to 

 keep you from going on the spree. Joe, I think you won your 

 last race to-day. O God ! this pain — and to think that Jess 



