Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 46

BCOM 8th Edition Lehman Solutions

Manual
Go to download the full and correct content document:
https://testbankfan.com/product/bcom-8th-edition-lehman-solutions-manual/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

BCOM 8th Edition Lehman Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/bcom-8th-edition-lehman-test-
bank/

BCOM 5th Edition Lehman Solutions Manual

https://testbankfan.com/product/bcom-5th-edition-lehman-
solutions-manual/

BCOM 6 6th Edition Lehman Solutions Manual

https://testbankfan.com/product/bcom-6-6th-edition-lehman-
solutions-manual/

BCOM 7 7th Edition Lehman Solutions Manual

https://testbankfan.com/product/bcom-7-7th-edition-lehman-
solutions-manual/
BCOM 4th Edition Lehman Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/bcom-4th-edition-lehman-test-
bank/

BCOM 5th Edition Lehman Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/bcom-5th-edition-lehman-test-
bank/

BCOM 7 7th Edition Lehman Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/bcom-7-7th-edition-lehman-test-
bank/

BCOM 6 6th Edition Lehman Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/bcom-6-6th-edition-lehman-test-
bank/

BCOM Canadian 1st Edition Lehman Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/bcom-canadian-1st-edition-lehman-
test-bank/
7 Delivering Bad-News Messages

IN THIS CHAPTER, YOU WILL FIND:

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
KEY CONCEPTS
KEY TERMS
CHAPTER OUTLINE
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
CASE ASSIGNMENT

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1 Explain the steps in the inductive outline and understand its use for specific situations.
2 Discuss strategies for developing the five components of a bad-news message.
3 Prepare messages refusing requests and claims.
4 Prepare messages handling problems with customers’ orders and denying credit.
5 Prepare messages providing constructive criticism.
6 Prepare messages communicating negative organizational news.
7 Prepare messages responding to crises.

KEY CONCEPTS

Bad-news messages typically require an inductive strategy. Situations covered include sharing
bad news, refusing a request, denying a claim, refusing an order, denying credit, delivering
constructive criticism, and communicating negative organizational news. The construction of

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

1
bad-news messages involves more delicate human relations issues than good- and neutral-news
messages.

KEY TERMS

TERM PAGE TERM PAGE


Counterproposal 116 Fair Credit Reporting Act 123

CHAPTER OUTLINE

7-1 Choosing an Appropriate Channel and Organizational Pattern 111


7-1a Channel Choice and Commitment to Tact 111
7-1b Use of the Inductive Approach to Build Goodwill 111
7-1c Exceptions to the Inductive Approach 113
7-2 Developing a Bad-News Message 113
7-2a Writing the Introductory Paragraph 113
7-2b Presenting the Facts, Analysis, and Reasons 114
7-2c Writing the Bad-News Statement 115
7-2d Offering a Counterproposal or “Silver Lining” Idea 116
7-2e Closing Positively 116
7-3 Refusing a Request 117
7-4 Denying a Claim 119
7-5 Denying Credit 122
7-6 Delivering Constructive Criticism 123
7-7 Communicating Negative Organizational News 124
7-7a Breaking Bad News 125
7-7b Responding to Crisis Situations 128

TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1
Explain the steps in the inductive outline, and understand its use for specific situations.

Using the Inductive Approach to Build Goodwill


• Reasons are easier to understand if given before bad news
• Reasons might be ignored when bad news is given first
• Disappointment in bad news might interfere with ability to understand reasons

Choosing an Appropriate Channel and Organizational Pattern


• Emphasize the close tie between customer loyalty and an organization’s ability to handle
difficult situations with tact and empathy.
• Encourage students to share examples based on their own experience.

Channel Choice and Commitment to Tact

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

2
• Discuss channel choices for negative communication with this question: “Have you ever been
fired from an employment position? How did your supervisor handle firing you or laying you
off—in person, over the phone, via a letter, or via email?”
• Show a video clip from the “The Apprentice” and discuss Donald Trump’s use of “you’re
fired.” Remind students that his directness is not the usually the best choice of organizational
pattern and word use when letting an employee go.
• Discuss face-to-face communication as an ideal channel for negative messages because of the
rich nonverbal messages and opportunity for feedback to minimize the misinterpretation of
highly sensitive messages.
• Discuss the increase in email to deliver bad-news messages because of honesty, accuracy, and
lessened discomfort. However, stress the importance of considering the impersonal nature of
email for bad-news messages.

Use of the Inductive Approach to Build Goodwill


• Discuss assessing the reader’s likely reaction to the bad-news message.
• Discuss the sequence of the bad-news messages. Stress the possible negative reactions to bad
news positioned before the explanations as you show the visual.

Exceptions to the Inductive Approach


• Lead a class discussion of occasions when the deductive approach for a negative message
may better serve the writer’s purpose.
√ The message is a second response to a repeated request.
√ The matter is insignificant in its resolution.
√ The request is ridiculous, immoral, unethical, illegal, or dangerous.
√ Cultural issues dictate the message be delivered differently.
√ The sender wants to demonstrate authority.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2
Discuss strategies for developing the five components of a bad-news message.

Developing a Bad-News Message


• Point out that a bad-news outline has five sections with specific principles involved in writing
each: (a) introductory paragraph, (b) explanation, (c) bad-news statement, (d)
counterproposal or “silver lining idea,” and (d) closing paragraph.
• Have students study the ineffective and effective applications of the inductive outline
illustrated in the textbook or from examples they find on their own.

Writing the Introductory Paragraph


• Discuss techniques about techniques for developing the introductory paragraph.
• Review possible opening with the following examples:
o Imply bad news if possible. Use subjunctive mood.
Example: Had you selected a variable rate, you could have taken advantage of
the recent drop in interest rates.
o Use positive language that accents the good.
Example: NOT: We cannot ship your order until . . . .
INSTEAD: Your order will be shipped when. . . .

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

3
o Offer counterproposal that shows writer wants to help.
o Example: Although our current personnel shortage prevents us . . ., we can
(alternative).
o Use stylistic techniques:
Complex sentence—bad news in the dependent clause
General terms and abstract nouns
Passive voice
Example: NOT: You failed to verify the payroll figures.
INSTEAD: The payroll figures must be verified. (passive)
Please verify the payroll figures.
(Focuses on the solution rather than the problem)

Writing the Bad-News Statement


• Discuss ways to minimize the impact of bad news and techniques for writing the bad-news
statement.
• Reinforce principles of writing the bad-news statement.
• Discuss de-emphasis techniques.

Offering a Counterproposal or “Silver Lining” Idea


• Emphasize that offering an alternative instead of a flat “no” keeps communication open and
avoids damage to egos.
• Discuss possible analogies to help students understand the effect of the counterproposal: The
counterproposal is to the “no” response as a highway detour is to the desired route.
• Remind students that effective counterproposals (states what you can do or offer) or the
“silver lining” (provides a thought that turns the discussion back in a positive direction)
approach are the best approach to continuing customer loyalty. Customers satisfied with the
handling of a bad-news situation and with the offered counterproposal will be the customers
who return to a business.

Closing Positively
• Discuss techniques for writing the closing paragraph.
o De-emphasize the negative
o Unify the message
o Include a positive, forward-looking idea
 Reference pleasant idea from discussion
 Use resale or sales promotion
 Express willingness to help in another way
• Have students work in pairs or small groups of 3 to study the approaches used in the closing
paragraphs in the model documents in the chapter.
• Summarize the discussion of techniques for developing the sections of a bad-news message
by asking students to recall an incident when they received or communicated a disappointing
message. Did the sender apply the principles presented in the chapter? Lead them in a
discussion of ways the message could have been improved.
√ Because each of the five sections of a bad-news message poses unique challenges,
the class can benefit from concentrating on certain portions of messages. For
example, after a writing problem is defined, students in certain parts of the classroom
could write the first sentence; others, the explanation; others, the refusal sentence;
and others, the final sentence. Sentences could be collected and some selected for
reading aloud or displayed.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

4
√ As a writing assignment, students write individual sentences or paragraphs instead of
an entire bad-news message.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
Prepare messages refusing requests and claims.

Types of Bad News Messages


• Introduce all the types of bad news messages.
• Remind students that determining whether a message is bad news focuses on perceived
reaction to the message.

Refusing a Request
• Discuss successful refusals for requests/favors.
• Point out that refusing employee requests is just as important as refusal letters that must build
customer goodwill. The same type of sensitivity and honest explanations are needed.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4
Prepare messages handling problems with customers’ orders and denying credit.

Maintaining Goodwill and Customer Loyalty


• Discuss the challenge of refusing customer claims while maintaining goodwill and
developing customer loyalty. Ask students why the inductive approach is helpful in this
situation. The inductive approach softens the bad-news by explaining the refusal and
increasing customer understanding.
• Emphasize the importance of tone in customer in customer refusals.

Denying a Claim
• Discuss the general sequence of ideas in an adjustment refusal.
• Ask students to critique and/or revise the poorly written claim denials from examples in the
book or one the instructor provides.

Resale Material while Building Goodwill and Loyalty


• Lead a discussion of possible reasons for not being able to send merchandise that has been
ordered.
• Discuss the need to include sales promotion or resale information in the refusal to promote
future sales or the image of the company.
• Stress that the inductive outline is recommended to minimize the customer’s disappointment
and including resale is important to build customer loyalty and retain goodwill.

Denying Credit
• Emphasize the legal implications involved in refusing credit and the importance of having
legal counsel review credit refusal letters.
• Review the requirements of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA).
• Emphasize the value of resale in a credit refusal letter.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

5
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 5
Prepare messages providing constructive criticism, communicating negative organizational news,
and responding to crises.

Delivering Constructive Criticism


• Emphasize that writing messages that point out negatives is a part of civic responsibility.
However, the motive should be to help; vindication is not a legitimate motive.
• Discuss the content and style of constructive criticisms. Emphasize the legal and ethical
implications in a good example. Ask students to respond to the following questions:
√ What is the sender’s motive in preparing the letter? Is it to vent anger or help the
customer?
√ What writing techniques were used to ensure that your motives are genuine?
√ What is gained from positive and negative points?
√ Why were details of specific behaviors and incidents necessary? Explain the
guidelines you will use for selecting information to include in constructive criticisms
that you deliver.

Communicating Negative Organizational News


• Discuss the importance of internal communication as contributing to employee morale and
overall customer service—if employees are happy, customers will tend to be happy.
• Consider the company that does not keep employees informed of upcoming meetings,
changes in policies, etc. How can these employees communicate effectively with clients or
vendors without enough information?
• Compare employee morale to customer goodwill in terms of their importance and their fragile
nature.
• Remind students that regular communication with employees via staff meetings, an
organizational newsletter, or chat opportunities with company management will aid during
times where management must convey negative messages about an organization.
• Lead students in a discussion of occasions when memorandums and email messages are
appropriate and inappropriate means of communicating bad news.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1. Appropriateness of the Inductive Outline: In pairs, describe either a personal or business-


related situation you faced in which you had to share bad news with someone. How did you
structure your message? What channel did you use for sharing the news? Was your strategy
effective?

Responses will vary. Students should focus on the need for inductive outline except in the special
circumstances. They should also consider the points regarding channel choice. If time permits
following the small-group discussion, ask a spokesperson from each group to summarize the
results of the discussion. This topic could also lead to the presentation of an oral report.

2. De-emphasizing Negative Ideas: Prepare a list of techniques for de-emphasizing a refusal.


Provide an example of your own for each technique.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

6
Students should list the techniques for de-emphasizing bad news shown on the lecture slide. The
exercise will be an excellent review of these techniques before students prepare an assignment for
a grade.

3. Determining Appropriate Sequence of Ideas: Deductive or Inductive: Identify whether each


of the following messages should be written deductively or inductively based on the receiver’s
likely reaction to the message.

MESSAGE ANSWER
a. A message from a customer service manager saying no to a customer’s
Deductive
third request for a refund that was previously denied.
b. A message from a company president to reject a contract proposal offered
by an international business partner whose cultural style is direct and Inductive
forthright.
c. A message refusing a customer’s request to reduce his monthly payment
for Internet services. He contends busy signals prevented him from Inductive
connecting most of the time
d. A message from an automobile dealer informing a customer that the
Inductive
delivery of a custom-order vehicle will be delayed two months.
e. A message from an appliance manufacturer authorizing the replacement of
Deductive
an under-the-counter ice machine that is still under warranty.
f. A message from a human resources manager refusing an employee’s
request that the manager “fudge” to a lender about his reported income to Inductive
help him qualify for a home loan.
g. A message from a financial planner apologizing for not placing an order to
Deductive
buy mutual funds for a customer.
h. A message from the chief financial officer of a local business agreeing to
Deductive
serve on a fund-raising committee for a community service organization.
i. A message extending appreciation for the outstanding work of a consulting
firm that spearheaded your successful effort to obtain ISO 9000 Deductive
certification.

4. Choosing an Effective Channel: For each of the situations in the previous activity, decide
which communication channel would be most appropriate. Explain your reasoning.

SITUATION CHANNEL
a. A message from a customer service manager saying no Mailed Letter because of the
to a customer’s third request for a refund that was amount of requests the
previously denied. customer has sent. You made
need written proof of refusal.
b. A message from a company president to reject a contract Mailed Letter or email. Foreign
proposal offered by an international business partner business partners receive email
whose cultural style is direct and forthright. more quickly, but the situation
may call for a more formal
refusal.
c. A message refusing a customer’s request to reduce his Reply with the same format in
monthly payment for Internet services. He contends which the message was
busy signals prevented him from connecting most of the received for the customer’s

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

7
time convenience.
d. A message from an automobile dealer informing a Phone call or email. The
customer that the delivery of a custom-order vehicle will customer expects the vehicle
be delayed two months. soon and expects a phone call
upon arrival, making this the
most appropriate channel.
e. A message from an appliance manufacturer authorizing Email or mailed letter.
the replacement of an under-the-counter ice machine Response to a routine request is
that is still under warranty. fairly informal.
f. A message from a human resources manager refusing an Mailed letter. Sensitive
employee’s request that the manager “fudge” to a lender situation involving management
about his reported income to help him qualify for a and an employee requires
home loan. written evidence.
g. A message from a financial planner apologizing for not Mailed letter to imply sincerity
placing an order to buy mutual funds for a customer. and repair customer relations.
h. A message from the chief financial officer of a local Mailed letter. Provides written
business agreeing to serve on a fund-raising committee message as a reminder of his
for a community service organization. engagement.
i. A message extending appreciation for the outstanding Mailed letter to imply sincerity
work of a consulting firm that spearheaded your and provide a written copy of
successful effort to obtain ISO 9000 certification. gratitude.
j. A message acknowledging shipment of an order and Email or mailed letter. Form
extending credit to a first-time customer. letter would be most
appropriate for this routine
message.

5. Writing Inductive Openings: Revise the following openings so that they are inductive.

a. Because your all-in-one printer did not show any defects in workmanship until three
months after the warranty expired, we cannot honor your claim.
b. We received many applications for this position, but an internal candidate was selected.
c. Dampier Enterprises cannot participate in the Magnolia Charity Benefit this year.
d. This letter is in response to your complaint of April 9.
e. Company policy does not allow me to approve the proposed transaction.

a. We’re pleased that you’re an owner of the new all-in-one printer. . . . (from positive
beginning, discuss the warranty and how it is good for a certain amount of time. Then deliver
the bad news.
b. Thank you for your interest in working for our company. We had many internal as well as
external candidates. . . . . (After establishing rapport, indicate reasons for hiring an internal
candidate and qualifications of hired candidate.)
c. We want to commend you for the work of the Magnolia Charity in helping the community. In
past years, Dampier Enterprises has been a proud supporter of the charity benefit. . . .
(Provide justification of why the company can’t support this year but hope it can in the
future.)
d. Thank you for taking the time to write to us. Your letter of April 9 provides us with valuable
feedback. . . . (Go on to discuss specific feedback of the letter.)
e. Thank you for your request to approve the proposed transaction. . . . (Discuss the importance
of the transaction and the place of company policy.)

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

8
6. Revising for Positive Tone: Revise the following refusal sentences to ensure positive tone.

a. We cannot accept an application sent after May 9.

We gladly accept all applications submitted through May 9.

b. Employees cannot smoke in the building.

Employees may smoke in any designated smoking areas outside of the building.

c. I am sorry, but we cannot be responsible for the service charges on your car; the damage
occurred at the dealership, not our factory.

Any service charges can be handled best at the specific dealership where damage occurred.

d. Your request for transfer to the London office has been denied.

We feel your skills are needed and best used in your current assignment.

7. Denying an Employee’s Request: Analyze the following email. Pinpoint its strengths and
weaknesses and then revise the email as directed by your instructor.

Your desire to participate in this fund-raising activity is admirable, but we must refuse to
support your relay team. Ashland Industries does not have any specific rules in place to
handle this particular situation, but as the president it is my responsibility to safeguard
expenditures of this type. Six hundred dollars is a lot of money. Perhaps you should
consider raising the money yourself. If you have questions about this decision, please
contact your data control manager for a copy of our corporate policy on charitable
contributions.

A summary of organization, content, and style errors follows:

Organization
• States the bad news before presenting the reasons for the refusal (deductive rather than
recommended inductive approach for bad-news messages).

Content
• Uses negative and condescending tone throughout.
• Refers reader to policy on charitable contributions but previously states the company has no
rules for this request.
• Gives no alternative suggestions Gives no indication of desire to continue to work with the
reader.

Style
• Uses overly informal language and also misspells the word (“a lot”).

8. Denying a Request: Analyze the following letter. Pinpoint its strengths and weaknesses and
then revise the letter as directed by your instructor.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

9
Dear Kyle:
I am pleased and honored to have been asked to serve as treasurer of the United Way
campaign for the coming year.
However, I regret to inform you that I cannot accept this position. Don’t take this
personally as it is my personal policy to refuse all nominations. The demands of my
accounting practice keep me on the road an enormous amount of time, and you must
understand that sleep is a luxury during the notorious “busy season” for accountants.
Once again, I appreciate the confidence you have placed in me but am sorry that my plate
is much too full to accept this outstanding service opportunity. Please contact me in the
future if I can help in any way.

A summary of organization, content, and style errors follows:

Organization
• States the bad news before presenting the reasons for the refusal (deductive rather than
recommended inductive approach for bad-news messages).
• Repeats bad news in closing paragraph.

Content
• Uses “however” as first word in second paragraph which may alert reader to coming bad-
news before explanation is offered.
• States that his sleep is more important than serving the organization.
• Chooses strong language in refusal (“I regret to inform” “I cannot accept” ).
• Offers alternative that seems less than sincere (“contact me in the future if I can help in any
way”).

Style
• Begins with “I.”
• Uses redundancy is with “pleased and honored.”
• Uses cliché (“my plate is much too full”).
• Misspells word (“notorious”).

9. Denying a Claim: Analyze the following letter. Pinpoint its strengths and weaknesses and
then revise the letter as directed by your instructor.

I am sorry you were dissatisfied with the sports celebrity we subbed for your dedication
ceremony. Although you obviously feel your claim has merit, refusing to pay us is just not
going to work for us. Ms. Vonetta Flowers’ injury and hospitalization was out of our
control—just not our fault. We felt sure you would be overjoyed we came through with
someone at the last minute. Our contract states specifically that we would provide you a
substitute; we did our part and we expect you to do your part and pay us for our services.
We appreciate your business and hope that you will consider us the next time you need a
sports celebrity for a function.

A summary of organization, content, and style errors follows:

Organization

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

10
• States the bad news before presenting the reasons for the refusal (deductive rather than
recommended inductive approach for bad-news messages).
• Does not give convincing details for the refusal.

Content
• Begins with “I” and an apology.
• Closes with an insincere sales promotion that does not offer any positive alternative.
• Expresses certainty when cannot be certain.
• Assumes no responsibility for outcome (“out of our control” “just not our fault”).

Style
• Seems accusatory (“obviously you feel”)
• Comes across as superior (“we did our part and we expect you to do your part”)
• Uses slang (“subbed” and “just not going to work for us”).
• Uses cliché (“We appreciate your business”).

10. Constructive Criticism: Analyze the following email. Pinpoint its strengths and weaknesses
and then revise the email to the director of the Pink Ridge Golf Academy as directed by your
instructor.

As an avid golfer, I am always looking for anything that will help me improve my game.
After talking with your staff and reading your advertisements, I was convinced that
attending your two-day golf school would allow me to take my game to the next level. The
instruction I received the first day was acceptable; however, I regret to say that the second
day I spent at your exclusive golf school was a total waste of my time and $1,000.
On the second day I was assigned to Stan Campbell, the “remarkable” putting instructor
you’ve plugged in every ad I’ve seen, to receive a private lesson. Words can’t describe my
disgust at his incompetency and the total lack of common courtesy he displayed during the
18 holes of golf I played. He rarely made comments or suggestions, even when I hit poor
shots. In fact, he didn’t watch several of my shots as he was too busy taking calls on his
cell phone or gazing into space.
If you wish to stay in business, you should take immediate action to correct these
shortcomings.

A summary of organization, content, and style errors follows:

Organization
• Uses inductive outline; begins with a neutral idea.
• Repeats bad news in closing paragraph.

Content
• Uses “however” in third sentence, which may alert reader to coming bad-news before
explanation is offered.
• Uses strong language in message (“I regret to say,” “a waste of my time”)
• Ends with a negative idea that might seem like a slap in the face.

Style
• Begins with “I”

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

11
• Uses cliché (“waste of my time,” “words can’t describe”)

REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS

1. Explain the appropriate channel and outline for a message that conveys bad news.
Under what conditions would a writer be justified in choosing an alternate outline or
channel?

The outline for bad-news messages is as follows: (a) begin with the neutral idea that leads to the
reason for the refusal; (b) present the facts, analysis, and reasons for the refusal; (c) state the
refusal using positive tone and de-emphasis techniques; and (d) close with an idea that shifts
emphasis away from the refusal. Using an alternate outline and placing a refusal in the first
sentence may be justified when (a) the message is the second response to a repeated request; (b) a
very small, insignificant matter is involved; (c) a request is obviously ridiculous, unethical,
illegal, or dangerous; (d) a writer’s intent is to “shake” the reader; (e) a writer-reader relationship
is so close that satisfactory human relations can be taken for granted; or (f) the writer wants to
demonstrate authority.
When possible, bad news should be conveyed face-to-face because this channel allows
for better feedback and nonverbal cues. However, using a face-to-face communication for bad
news also provides the opportunity for the interaction to become about personalities instead of
issues. Bad news can be conveyed electronically or through snail mail when geographic location
prevents face-to-face interaction or when the sender is trying to disperse the personal implications
for the interaction.

2. What three functions does the first paragraph of a bad-news message serve? Does “i am
responding to your letter of the 25th” accomplish both of these functions? Explain.

The first paragraph (a) lets the receiver know what the letter is about (without stating the obvious)
and (b) serves as a transition into the discussion of the reasons (without revealing the bad news or
leading the receiver to expect good news). The stated sentence does not accomplish either
purpose; it is an empty acknowledgment.

3. Discuss how a counterproposal and implication can be used to de-emphasize the bad-
news statement to assist a communicator in achieving the human relations goal of
business communication.

A counterproposal is an alternative to the action requested. It is an expression of empathy and


goodwill for the customer that seeks to strengthen and maintain positive, long-term relationships.

4. What objectives should the final paragraph accomplish? Should the closing sentence
apologize for action taken? Should it refer to the statement of refusal to achieve unity?
Explain.

The final paragraph (a) de-emphasizes the unpleasant part of the message, (b) conveys some
useful information that should logically follow bad news, (c) shows that the writer has a positive
attitude, and (d) adds a unifying quality to the message. The closing sentence should not
apologize for action taken. Because valid reasons for the refusal have been provided, an apology
is inconsistent. Why apologize for doing what is right? The apology weakens confidence in the

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

12
decision. The last paragraph should bring a unifying quality to the whole message; however,
restatement of the refusal would only serve to emphasize it.

5. In which part of a refusal message would resale and sales promotional material be most
appropriate? Explain.

A refusal may begin with a resale statement about the product. Sales promotional material would
be most appropriate in the final paragraph (or even in a postscript). In earlier paragraphs, it would
be confusing.

6. Discuss the legal implications involved in writing credit refusals.

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) requires that the credit applicant be notified of the
credit decision within 30 calendar days. Applicants who are denied credit must be informed of the
reasons for the refusal and be reminded that the Fair Credit Reporting Act provides them the right
to know the nature of the information in their credit file. The ECOA also prohibits creditors from
discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin,
gender, and marital status.

7. What elements make criticism “constructive”?

Constructive criticism should (1) present facts, not opinions, (2) provide evidence to support
claims made, (3) use positive language when possible, and (4) provide possible solutions for the
problems.

8. Why is the effective handling of negative information of such importance to a company?

Employees are seeking honest answers from management about critical matters related to the
organization. Morale is fragile, easily damaged, and difficult to repair. Managers who can
communicate negative information in a sensitive, honest, and timely way are successful in
calming employees’ fears and doubts and in building positive employee relations.

9. Saying “no” is not difficult; the challenge is to do so while protecting goodwill. Explain
the rationale and significance of this statement.

Giving a receiver bad news is generally easy when the sender does not care about the receiver’s
reaction or whether the receiver takes time to consider the reasons and explanations for the
negative response. The difficulty arises when a sender takes the time to consider the receiver’s
reaction and to convey the bad news as gently and positively as possible.

10. Frequent channels for delivering business messages include written, electronic, and
face-to-face means. What criteria would you use in selecting the appropriate channel for
delivering bad news?

In selecting a channel for delivering any message, the sender should consider (1) the receiver’s
reaction to the message, (2) the need for the “personal touch,” (3) the need for a written record,
and (4) and the channel for the original message (for example, with customer orders).

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

13
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS

1. Communication Success Stories: Conduct an electronic search to locate an article that


deals with successful negative communication in a company or organization. Prepare an
abstract of the article that includes the following parts: (1) article citation, (2) name of
organization/company, (3) brief description of communication technique/situation, and (4)
outcome(s) of the successful communication. As an alternative to locating an article, you
could write about a successful communication situation in the organization/company for
which you work. Be prepared to present your abstract in a memo and give a short
presentation in class.

Daniel Pelling, a driver for Atwood Corp., sent the following email to the firm’s suggestion
box:
***
Our manager informed us that you were looking for inexpensive ways of rewarding people
who receive the employee-of-the-month award. I believe you should give that person the
week off with pay. You’re going to pay the person anyway and the rest of us will work just a
little harder to cover for that person.

Discuss Internet search strategies for the assignment. For instance, talk about full-text databases
available online through your library. Discuss key words for searching; for instance,
“communications” will produce many hits, but narrowing it by using words such as “public
relations” or “successful” will limit more closely to the desired subset of articles. Evaluate
abstracts for completeness and correctness of language and citation.

2. Rejecting an Employee’s Suggestion: Read the following scenario and complete the related
exercise.

As the chief executive officer, write an email message to Daniel Pelling rejecting his idea.
Although you applaud his willingness to work a little harder, you are not sure that all
employees would share his commitment. In addition, your human resources director pointed
out that many employees work in unique jobs where vacation time must be planned in
advance to keep the business operating efficiently.

Responses should be inductive, have a counterproposal, and thank Daniel sincerely for his input
to encourage further communication.

3. Bad-News Speeches: Refer to a recent political or business event in which bad news was
shared and prepare a written critique that includes (1) an assessment of the effectiveness of
the message and the manner in which it was delivered, (2) an analysis of the results, and (3)
a summary of what you learned from your analysis. Be prepared to share your critique with
the class in a brief presentation.

Student content will vary. Evaluate informally based on grammar and grasp of the application of
inductive sequence

4. Critique of Bad-News Messages Produced by Real Companies: Locate an example of both a


well-written and a poorly written bad-news message and analyze the strengths and
weaknesses of each document. Prepare a visual of each and present your critique to the class.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

14
Student content will vary.

5. Loan Denied for Poor Credit Customer: Assemble in groups of three to four and read the
following scenario and complete the related exercise.

Having decided to build an addition to their home, Larry and Alice Sherman made an
application for a $35,000 loan from a finance company. A consumer credit report revealed
a consistent record of slow payment. On several occasions, they paid only after forceful
attempts at collection. As branch manager of the finance company, you have invited the
Shermans to come in to discuss the refusal.

As a group, develop a voice script explaining how you intend to deliver this negative news to
your customer.

Each group’s script should follow the deductive outline (follows).


I. Neutral opening to start conversation
II. Explain the problem
III. Provide alternative solution
IV. Cordial closing

ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

1. Training for Employee Sensitivity: a Priority at Wilson Street Grill: Read the following
scenario, then complete activities a through c.

The Wilson Street Grill in Madison, Wisconsin, is one of many restaurants that have
successfully hired employees with mental disabilities. The federal Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits employers from discriminating against disabled job
applicants and employees in businesses with 15 or more employees. Many hotels and
restaurants have found that employees with disabilities are often excellent employees who
work hard and care about their work. The rate of turnover for workers with mental disabilities
is often lower than the turnover among high school and college students employed at these
same restaurants.

The Wilson Street Grill is no exception; more than one third of its employees have a
disability. All new employees receive orientation and training, which includes information on
working effectively with those who have disabilities. It is important that employees
understand the issues of discrimination and how the ADA law impacts the employees at the
Wilson Street Grill. New employees are supervised and mentored on a regular basis so that
they can work effectively with the current staff.

As manager of the Wilson Street Grill, you recently hired Jonathan, who completed his
orientation a month ago. He regularly works with Sue, a mentally disabled employee with
Down syndrome who has been an excellent employee for two years. Jonathan appears to be
patient with the other employees who have disabilities, but seems easily frustrated with Sue.
Jonathan has refrained from speaking rudely to her in public, but his general behavior
communicates a very negative attitude. You recently observed a negative communication

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

15
exchange between Jonathan and Sue. Jonathan often responds to Sue’s questions by ignoring
her or giving her terse answers. He has rudely interrupted her conversations with fellow
employees on numerous occasions. Often when she starts a routine task, he takes over and
does it for her. He refuses her efforts to help him learn certain tasks. Sue has not complained
to you, but she has talked to other employees about the problems with Jonathan. As the
manager of Wilson Street Grill, you need to warn Jonathan about his unacceptable behavior
and provide constructive criticism.

a. Write a memo to Jonathan that will be placed in his personnel file. The memo should
adequately warn Jonathan about the consequences of his behavior and should contain
relevant facts to explain the law. Visit your campus library to complete additional
research on the Americans with Disabilities Act so that you understand how this law
impacts management.
b. Develop a voice script that could be used by the manager for delivering this warning and
constructive criticism to Jonathan. Your instructor may ask you to role play your
conversation with another student in the class.

Student responses will vary but should follow these guidelines:

(1) Remind Jonathan that The Wilson Street Grill has a history of providing excellent work
opportunities to employees with physical and mental disabilities. Currently more than a third
of the workers have disabilities. Generally, these workers effectively perform tasks and have
good attitudes toward their jobs. The Wilson Street Grill has created an environment that
helps those with disabilities succeed.
(2) Review the federal Americans with Disabilities Act with Jonathan. The importance of
observing this law was discussed at his orientation. Identify his specific actions that could be
interpreted as discrimination against employees with disabilities. Warn Jonathan of the
consequences of his negative behavior which could result in dismissal.
(3) Suggest that he observe how other employees relate positively to their co-workers who have
disabilities. Provide him with written material and a video that provide additional examples
of discriminatory behavior. Conduct a follow-up review in 30 days.

c. In a small group, produce a short video presentation that could be shown to new hires at
The Wilson Street Grill on working with those who have disabilities.

The video might start with a short bulleted list that explains the highlights of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Then demonstrate how this act affects employees at The Wilson Street Grill.
Using role-play between co-workers, depict several common situations that might occur on a
daily basis. Present an example of negative interaction with employees who have disabilities.
Follow each of these examples with a scene showing the appropriate interaction that should have
occurred. End the video with the engaging facts and case stories about how the restaurant has
successfully employed workers with disabilities.

2. Employee Bad News: An Employee Video/Computer Lounge: Read the scenario below
before completing the related writing activity that follows.

Employees have requested the construction of a video/computer lounge where employees


can relax and check on personal email and computer work during their breaks. Write a
short memo denying this request. Consider a counterproposal or alternative idea to the
employees’ request.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

16
Example of Poor Response:

Subject: No Employee Video/Computer Lounge

How can you even consider asking for our company to fund a video game/computer
lounge for employees?! Our employees are here to work, not to play.

Allowing our employees time with video games and unmonitored computer use goes
against every management principle I’ve ever learned. Employees should conduct their
personal computer business on personal time and use their spare time at home to play
video or computer games. An office is for work, not play. Besides, the cost of installing a
separate area for these video breaks would be exorbitant. Our vice president would never
agree to spend money on this right now.

I will try to convince management to allow a fifteen-minute time frame every day for
personal Internet use within certain parameters, but you should not get your hopes up.

Weaknesses in response:
• Reveals refusal in subject line
• States refusal before explanation
• Uses negative language and condescending tone without giving com-plete explanation for
refusal
• Offers possible alternative, but reluctant tone seems insincere

Improved Response:

Subject: No Employee Video/Computer Lounge

How can you even consider asking for our company to fund a video game/computer
lounge for employees?! Our employees are here to work, not to play.

Allowing our employees time with video games and unmonitored computer use goes
against every management principle I’ve ever learned. Employees should conduct their
personal computer business on personal time and use their spare time at home to play
video or computer games. An office is for work, not play. Besides, the cost of installing a
separate area for these video breaks would be exorbitant. Our vice president would never
agree to spend money on this right now.

I will try to convince management to allow a fifteen-minute time frame every day for
personal Internet use within certain parameters, but you should not get your hopes up.

Josie, in response to your idea, I have submitted a request to management that we


consider adding an “e-break” to our company Internet policy that will allow employees
to use the traditional 15-minute coffee break time to conduct personal business on their
computers or play short games likes Solitaire or Minesweeper. The article you sent me
last month provided some good research to support this idea. Let’s see how this goes,
and we will revisit the employee video game/computer lounge idea in the future.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

17
Improvements in response:
• Cushions bad news with sincere compliment for suggestion
• Transitions to reasons and provides complete explanation for refusal
• Restates reason for saying “No” and offers counter-proposal to de-emphasize refusal

3. Constructive Criticism: Food Critic Gives Restaurant Thumbs Down: Read the following
scenario, then develop a full sentence outline below.

One of the Downtown Disney restaurants in Orlando, Florida, is Bongos Cuban Café
created by Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio. Like many Disney restaurants, Bongos
Cuban Café hires international college students as part of the Disney College Program at
the Walt Disney World Resort. Food and beverage servers in these restaurants must have
the ability to work in a fast-paced environment and prior experience in the restaurant
industry. Similar to servers in most restaurants, these international students take menu
orders, refill beverages, carry food and drink, bus tables, and handle payment.

Angelica is a new server from Brazil who has worked for a month at the Disney location
of Bongos Cuban Café. Although Angelica seems to communicate well with customers,
the manager of the restaurant has received several verbal complaints from customers
about her service. Most recently, an irate customer sent a letter complaining about the bad
service at the restaurant. Although Angelica was the server for this customer, not all of
the problems mentioned in the letter were her fault. The customer was served on New
Year’s Eve when several servers called in sick; therefore, service was very slow. The
restaurant ran out of iced tea during lunchtime, and the customer could not get any refills.
The customer ordered a menu item that was not available, and orders were served to the
wrong party at the table. The customer requested a credit on the bill for the iced tea,
which the management approved, but the final bill was incorrect.

In the letter, the customer demands a credit for the cost of the total bill, which is about
$120 for the party of four. Most important, the customer is a food critic for a travel
magazine and has enclosed a copy of the negative review he wrote for your restaurant.
Since the restaurant is on Disney Resort property, it is especially important that customers
have a good dining experience. It is an expensive restaurant, and because of the location
and the cost, people expect great food and excellent service. As the restaurant manager,
your job involves ensuring that your staff provides this quality. You need to discuss with
Angelica the problems that have been identified by customers who have complained
about her service. You also need to decide how to respond to the customer complaint.

Student responses will vary, but a sample outline appears below:

I. Start the conversation with a neutral or positive opening.


A. A neutral opening may include acknowledging the challenge of serving customers
during peak tourist season.
B. A positive opening may start with good comments about Angelica's work
performance during her two months of employment. Customers have commented on
her friendliness and positive attitude. Point out the strengths she brings to her job.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

18
II. Emphasize the important qualities of good restaurant service.
A. Remind Angelica that this includes efficient service, attention to customer requests,
accuracy in taking orders and tabulating bills.
B. Remind Angelica that the restaurant is on Walt Disney World Resort property and
that customers expect excellent food and service.
III. Provide additional training for Angelica.
A. Provide specific instructions on how Angelica should take orders, serve food and
beverages, and tabulate bills.
B. Assign her to "shadow" another server for a day.
IV. Summary
A. Set specific performance goals that you will evaluate in one month.
B. Ask if she has any questions.

4. Adjustment Refusal: No Sympathy for Bank Customer with “Bounced Checks”: Read the
scenario below then complete the written activity that follows.

Banks that are located near universities frequently compete with each other to attract college
students as customers. These banks may offer many services that are attractive to students,
such as free checking, lower required account balances, convenient ATM locations on
campus, longer hours, student loans, and credit cards. The banks tailor services to the college
student market.

Many college students may be opening a checking account for the first time. Often these
students may not understand the responsibilities of handling a checking account or may fail to
read the information that is provided by the bank at the time the account is opened. Careless
errors, inaccurate recordkeeping of transactions, and failure to balance a checking account
can be a costly error for anyone, particularly a college student on a limited budget.

Rachel is a new college freshman, living away from home for the first time. She has opened a
checking account with Regions Bank. During the first two months of the semester, she wrote
checks for many purchases and used her debit card for cash withdrawals; she accurately
recorded all these transactions in her checkbook. Now busy with classes and college
activities, she became more careless, and didn’t take time to record withdrawals or to balance
her checking account. On a visit to deposit a check in the bank she received a record of her
balance to date which showed that she had money in her account. During the next few days,
she used her debit card for several meals out with friends and wrote checks to pay for various
items. She then received notice that 10 of these transactions had “bounced.” The fee for each
insufficient funds notice was $27. She has gone to the bank requesting that the fee be waived.
The “balance to date” did not include several outstanding checks that were credited to her
account the next day.

Activity:
As the customer service manager, compose a letter to Rachel denying her request to waive this
fee for checks with insufficient funds. Conduct research necessary to recommend a plan for
protecting against future insufficient fund fees.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

19
5. Adjustment Refusal: Airline Passenger Struggles with Online Ticketing: Read the scenario
below, then respond to the customer in question with an email that explains the problem and
proposes a solution.

Most airline passengers who travel frequently are accustomed to booking their flights online
using one of the many available websites, such as Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com,
Expedia.com, and so on. These websites provide access to detailed flight information,
including costs. Customers conveniently make an airline reservation, pay for it, and receive a
boarding pass prior to departure. Frequent fliers find that online ticketing services often save
them money and time. The sites are user-friendly and relatively easy to navigate; users follow
the step-by-step directions carefully and submit the appropriate information for the
transaction to be completed. People who use these sites quickly become familiar with how
they work; however, problems can occur for travelers who are not computer literate, who fly
infrequently, and who are booking flights online for the first time.

You are a reservation agent for U.S. Airways and frequently handle calls from novice users of
online sites. Today you receive a call from a customer who is frantic and complains that she
cannot print a boarding pass for the flight she has “booked” using Travelocity.com. The flight
is scheduled to depart for Florida, a popular winter destination, within 24 hours. By making
airline reservations six weeks ahead of scheduled departure, the cost was less than $300. The
customer is unable to recall if she received an email from Travelocity.com with the
confirmation number of her reservation. After checking the reservation system, you discover
no reservation for this person. Apparently, she did not complete the online reservation and
properly submit the information as she cannot find any charges for the ticket on her recent
credit card bill.

Responses will vary but should follow these guidelines:

V. Neutral opening to start conversation


A. Acknowledge that online reservation systems can sometimes be confusing when
passengers first use them.
B. Remind the customer that each online service has slightly different instructions, and
it is important to complete all steps in the proper sequence.
C. Inform her that all online reservation systems send a follow up email with a
reservation confirmation number. This email is the customer's documented record of
the flight reservation.
VI. Explain the problem
A. Tell the customer that the reservation system does not list her as a ticketed passenger
and that she will have to book a new flight.
B. Empathize with her frustration and assure her that you'll find her another flight,
although it will cost more.
C. Remind her that it is peak travel time and that the main goal is to find a flight to the
desired location in time for the holidays.
VII. Provide alternative solution
A. Find another flight at the best available price.
B. Complete the new reservation
VIII. Cordial closing
A. Wish her a safe flight and happy holidays.
B. Remind her to check her email for confirmation of future online reservations.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

20
CASE ASSIGNMENT
ANONYMITY IN CYBERSPACE
Do you have a right to anonymity in cyberspace? Should you have this right? Two current views
prevail about the right of anonymity. One view sees it as limiting the free flow of information; by
having a wealth of information available, people can communicate, shop, and conduct business
with ease. Access to information allows you to find a friend’s email address that you had
forgotten or to track down an old friend in another city. The opposing view sees the right to
anonymity as a protection of individual privacy; without anonymity, unidentified parties can track
where you go in cyberspace, how often you go there, and with whom you communicate. At the
present time, you are typically required to reveal your identity when engaging in a wide range of
activities. Every time you use a credit card, email a friend, or subscribe to an online magazine, an
identifiable record of each transaction is created and linked to you. But must this always be the
case? Are there situations where transactions may be conducted anonymously, yet securely?
Several methods currently exist for surfers to protect their anonymity in cyberspace:

• Anonymous remailers: A completely anonymous remailer, or chain remailer, sends mail


through remailing locations. Each location takes the header information off the mail and
sends it to the next location. When the mail gets to its final destination, the recipient has no
idea where the mail originated. What makes the system truly anonymous is that the remailing
locations that the message goes through typically keep no records of the mail that comes in or
goes out. This procedure makes the mail impossible to track.
• Pseudo-anonymous remailers: These single remailers work similarly to the chain remailer.
The mail is sent to a remailing location, the header information is stripped at this site, and the
mail is forwarded to its final destination. As with the chain remailer, the recipient has no idea
where the mail originated. What makes the single remailer pseudo-anonymous is the fact that
single remailers typically keep records of the mail that comes into and goes out of their
systems. This procedure makes the mail traceable.
• Pseudonymity: This process consists of sending mail through cyberspace under a false name.
Like the single remailer, the recipient will not immediately know who the mail came from,
but the mail is completely traceable.
• Anonymizer website: By visiting http://www.anonymizer.com, you can learn how to stop
any specified website from gathering information on you. When you use the anonymizer
software to access a particular website, the anonymizer goes to that website for you, grabs the
information, and sends you the information from the site. As far as the website knows, it has
been contacted only by the anonymizer website. This secures your transactions and keeps
“nosy” websites from gathering information on you.

In spite of consumer interest in protecting anonymity, the federal government opposes total
anonymity due to legitimate interests that are at stake. If total anonymity existed, the government
would be unable to track down people who use cyberspace to violate the laws of libel,
defamation, and copyrights.
Sources: M Kim, "The Right to Anonymous Association in Cyberspace: US Legal Protection for Anonymity in Name,
in Face, and in Action", (2010) 7:1 SCRIPTed 51, http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/ahrc/script-ed/vol7-1/kim.asp; Makeever,
J.J. (1996, October 3). Privacy and anonymity in cyberspace. A law of cyberspace? http://host1.jmlx.edu/cyber/1996/r-
priv.html.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

21
Activities
1. Locate an article on the issue of online anonymity. Print out the article and prepare a two-
page abstract that includes the following sections: (1) reference citation, (2) overview, (3)
major point, and (4) application.

This activity gives students the opportunity to practice their abstracting skills. Evaluate the
assignment according to the adequacy of coverage in the four sections and accuracy in grammar,
punctuation, and writing style.

2. Prepare a chart that summarizes the advantages and the disadvantages of online anonymity.

Advantages included in the chart may include protection of individual privacy, protection against
electronic tracking, and freedom of expression due to undisclosed identity. Disadvantages may
include inability to locate parties electronically, hindrances to online shopping, and irresponsible
online behavior due to lack of identity.

3. Take a position on the anonymity issue, either to support the right to anonymity or to defend
the need for identification. In writing, present a defense of your position, giving reasons
and/or evidence.

Advantages and disadvantages identified in Activity 2 can be expanded into reasons for the
position taken.

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.

22
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
'Yes; and I shall cross your path no more. Our lives are shaped out for us
to a great extent, and mine was planned out for me by others. Oh, by what
infernal fatality have you, too, the name of Laura!'

'It was, I suppose, given me by my godfathers and godmothers. You


seem to be familiar with it,' she added, with one of her merriest laughs.

Dalton knew that a lover laughed at has a lost cause; he knew too—
fatally for his own peace—that the love he had for weeks upon weeks past
been striving to stifle in his breast, was a love that he had no right to offer;
but her reception of it stung him deeply, and in reply to her laughter he said,
gravely and steadily,

'Then I am to understand that you have been amusing yourself with me


—simply flirting to keep your hand in, Mrs. Trelawney?' he asked, in a
voice that was intensely low and clear.

'Precisely so,' she said, with a nod and a saucy smile; 'playing the game
that always requires two to play it.'

'What game?'

'Love-making.'

'Cruel—cruel! God may forgive you, but I never will!' he exclaimed,


and wheeling round his horse, galloped furiously away.

How astonished Dalton would have been could he have seen the change
that came over the face and manner of the lady he had just left so abruptly.

Her eyes flashed with joyous triumph, yet they were full of welling
tears; her lip quivered; her cheeks were deeply flushed; an agitation beyond
her control made her whole form to vibrate; and as she struck her gloved
hands together she exclaimed, in a low and fervent voice, with almost a sob
in it, 'At last—at last I have completely triumphed—have ground him to the
dust! At last he loves me, and I have conquered his cold, proud heart!'
Then leaping lightly as a girl from her horse, on reaching her own gate,
she passionately embraced and kissed little Netty again and again, greatly to
the bewilderment of the child, who had never seen her mother so agitated
before.

That night she despatched a note to the camp requesting Captain Dalton
to visit her again.

All the next day passed, and no answer came.

Her excitement became intense; she sent a messenger to the North


Camp to make inquiries, and he returned with the, to her, now most startling
tidings that the Rifles had marched that morning for embarkation, and that
her note was lying undelivered in the empty hut of Captain Dalton, who had
left the lines for Southampton.

She had boasted to him laughingly and with affected pride and
bitterness of the game she had been playing. She had held a trump card in
her hand, and now it seemed that she had played and lost it.

'I have gone too far, too far, and now may lose him altogether, and after
all—after all!' she exclaimed, with genuine dismay.

CHAPTER IX.

'THE ROUTE!'

It was so; those comfortless wooden wigwams in the lines of the North
Camp, which had known the Rifles for so many months, now, in the words
of the Book of Job, knew them no more; and nothing of the smart but
sombre battalion now remained there save a few soldiers—recruits whose
training was not complete, or men whose time of service was nearly
expired.
The mess had been broken up, its massive and trophied service of plate
packed up and placed in the charge of Goring, who had command of the
fragment of the battalion left behind. The senior captain of a regiment was
never employed on this duty, as, for obvious reasons, his presence at
headquarters is always desirable.

On the eventful morning of their march from camp the gallant battalion
of the 'Prince Consort's Own' scarcely knew themselves in their new
'Ashanti toggery,' as they called it, which was furnished from the stores at
Pimlico, and consisted, for each man, of a grey tweed tunic, resembling a
shooting-jacket, suitable for the climate, with ample pockets; belt and
trousers of the same material, and rough canvas leggings; the head-dress, a
light grey Indian helmet, perhaps the first time such a thing had been worn
on British ground.

Soldier-like looked the Rifles in their black belts and their heavy
marching order, with knapsacks, haversacks, great-coats, canteens, and
water-bottles.

If there was little of the pomp and circumstance of war in this costume,
by repetition in numbers and by uniformity in the mass it did not seem
unimposing; and if splendour was wanting, certainly enthusiasm was not,
and loud and hearty were the cheers that rang along the Lines from one
street of huts to another, as the grey column, preceded by the bands of
several corps, began its short march to the railway which was to convey it
to Southampton just as the red sun of November, the pioneer of winter,
shone out through clouds that had a ragged and dreary look in a grey and
gloomy sky.

The moorlands around Aldershot were odorous with withered bracken,


and a stray heron might have been seen, perhaps, at Fleet Pond, motionless
amid the water as if sculptured in bronze; in the adjacent thickets the
woodsman was going forth, armed with axe and bill-hook, his dog close
behind him, heedless of war and its accompaniments, pausing, perhaps, as
he heard in the distance on the ambient air the crash of the brass bands that
led the Rifles on the first part of the long route to terrible Ashanti, or it
might be the chorus of hundreds of manly voices shouting 'Cheer, boys,
cheer,' on the wind of the early morning, but he was thinking only of the
bundles of faggots on his shoulder, the crackling fire, the clean-swept
hearth, the kettle on the hob, and the trim little wife that awaited him at
home.

Bevil Goring was accompanying the battalion to Southampton to see the


last of his friends, and to 'kill,' as he thought, 'another day of suspense,' the
long and empty days of waiting with gloomy forebodings.

It seemed to him that a few hours had wrought a curious change in both
Jerry Wilmot and Tony Dalton, but more especially in the latter, who from
being a grave, earnest, and pleasant fellow had suddenly became morose,
preoccupied, and even sullen and most impatient; one thing alone seemed to
gratify him—the sudden and speedy departure to the seat of war.

'What has come to you, my dear fellow?' asked Goring more than once;
'you look as if you were going into a fever.'

'I am in a fever of the mind, Goring,' replied Dalton, 'and I may tell you
all about it before the transport sails.'

Among the crowd that assembled to see the battalion depart were many
ladies on horseback. There was one under whose tightly-tied veil the hot
tears were falling, as she saw Jerry march past in the strange Ashanti
uniform at the head of his company; but Jerry—his sad thoughts turned
inward—saw not her, and he had no prevision that she of whom his heart
was so full at that moment—Bella Chevenix—was so near him.

'Time will test his truth,' thought the girl; 'true love does not die, but the
false only, as it depends upon outward influences. Yet time may see this
regiment return, and Jerry not with it—oh, God, if it should be—not with
it!'

And the crash of the brass bands went on, and the tramp of the steadily
marching column, the flash of accoutrements and arms, the cheers, the
chorusing, the general hubbub, all portions of a terrible phantasmagoria,
amid which he was taken away from her.
Southampton was reached in due time, and by sound of bugle the
battalion was 'detrained,' to use the term now in use, and marched to the
steam transport which lay in those busy and stately docks, where of old the
sea had ebbed and flowed upon a silent and sandy shore, and where, it is
difficult now to believe, Canute the Dane sat in a chair, and took his part in
that well-known incident by which he rebuked the flattery of his courtiers.

By a hand gangway the grey column defiled at once on board the ship,
whose capacious womb received it. The men were speedily divided into
their watches; a guard was detailed; berths were apportioned; arms racked;
knapsacks hung on pegs or cleats; bedding inspected; duck shirts and
fatigue trousers served out; and so, for a time, the officers and sergeants had
a busy time of it; while a thousand mysterious returns, receipts, and
requisitions seemed to require the signature of the colonel and everyone
else, and these were affixed on the capstan head, the gunwale, the back of
the nearest soldier, or anything else that might be improvised as a table.

Incessant was the clatter of the donkey-engines as stores were taken on


board, baggage, shot, shell, gatling-guns, waggons, provisions, wheel-
barrows, shovels, and pickaxes in bundles. Night fell, and still the odious
hurly-burly on deck and by the gaping hatchways went on, to the sound of
many a merry chorus or song at times:

'It's no matter what you do,


If your heart be only true.
And his heart was true to his Poll.'

Though our soldiers are generally too young to have wives nowadays,
in these short-service times, a few years ago it was not so; thus several
women of the Rifle Battalion, some with babies in their arms, had followed
it to Southampton to see the last of those they might never look upon again.

'Good-bye, my poor Mary,' Goring heard a young soldier cry, looking


wistfully to his girl-wife, who stood weeping on the quay, where she held
up their baby from time to time. 'How are you to get back to camp?'
'Never mind, Tom darling; I'm here, anyhow.'

'Have you any money?'

'No.'

'God help you, darling,' he replied, and proceeded in a mechanical but


hopeless way to investigate his pockets.

'I'll take her back, and all the women of ours who are here. Pass the
message along, lads,' cried Bevil Goring, who now gave a sergeant carte
blanche to distribute money among all for what they required, and directing
them all to meet him at the railway station next morning.

'Three cheers for Captain Goring!' was now the cry, and many men
crowded gratefully forward to salute him and shake his hand, while he felt
now that he could spend some of the rupees of Bevil Goring of Chowringee
to good purpose; and sure enough he met his strange detachment at the
station next morning; and after giving them a hearty breakfast, including
buns and cans of milk galore for the little ones, he brought them all into
camp, while the transport was steaming down the waters of the Solent, and
heading for the Channel.

But in this part of our narrative we are anticipating certain events which
occurred at Southampton, and which Dalton and Goring, but more
particularly the former, were destined to have long in their memory.

CHAPTER X.

THE SECRET OF DALTON'S LIFE.

'I cannot understand the terms on which you say you and Mrs.
Trelawney have parted,' said Goring, to whom his most valued friend
Dalton had been, as a sort of relief to his own mind, apparently making
what he called 'a clean breast of it,' and detailing his relations with the fair
widow of Chilcote Grange. 'You seem to have made love enough to her—
that I saw for myself often. You seemed to have expressed admiration
enough for her, to all of which she appears to have listened with patience
and pleasure in some instances; with impatience and petulance in others;
and yet you seem to have wound up with a kind of quarrel at last!'

'She acknowledged that she had only been amusing herself and
befooling me.'

'It would also seem by your own account that amid all the curious love-
making you never made her a direct proposal of marriage.'

'No.'

'Why?'

'I dared not,' said Dalton, sadly.

'You dared not—and why?'

'Because—because I am a married man—there now, the murder is out!'

'A married man—you, Tony Dalton!' exclaimed Goring, in utter


bewilderment.

'I, Tony Dalton—the biggest fool in Her Majesty's service,' replied that
personage, with a groan.

'Does Mrs. Trelawney know of this state of affairs?' asked Goring, after
a long pause.

'I have more than once feared as much.'

'She hinted to me once that there was a secret in your life that precluded
her reception of your addresses. Then it is so?'
'Yes, that I am a married man,' replied Dalton, as he threw open his dark
green and silk-braided patrol jacket (which he had resumed after the march)
as if its collar choked him, tossed his half-finished cigar into the blazing
fire, and drained his glass only to replenish it again.

It was in a hotel at Southampton, not far from where the transport lay,
when they were having a 'farewell drink' after a cutlet or so, that Dalton
made this astounding revelation to his friend—one that seemed fully to
account for many peculiarities which the latter had remarked in Dalton's
intercourse with Mrs. Trelawney.

'Why, in the name of all that is wonderful, have you concealed this so
long?'

'An emotion of shame perhaps—shame at my own egregious folly tied


my tongue.'

'But when, where, how did it all come about?'

'The most miserable stories are often told in a few words, and thus told
best; and, Goring, I shall tell you mine,' replied Dalton.

'When I was being educated for the service—my parents being dead—I
was boarded by my uncle Sir John Dalton—on whose hands and generosity
I was utterly cast—with a tutor at Hastings.

'My uncle was most generous. I had quarterly as much pocket-money—


too much indeed—as a young fellow in his early teens could desire to have;
I had a horse at my command, a pleasure-boat whenever I liked it, and was
a frequent attender at the theatre; for my tutor was a careless fellow, fond of
amusement too, and did not look sufficiently after me.

'All this was some ten or twelve years ago. At the theatre there was a
young girl who figured in the bills as Miss Laura Dorillion, and who was
deemed quite a star.

'One story went that she was a lady of high family, who, in a rage for
histrionic fame, had fled from home, changed her name, and adopted the
stage as a profession; another story was that she was the only daughter of a
man of rank, whom dissipation or bad speculations on the turf had ruined;
and rumour added that, when only twelve years of age, she had played
Juliet to perfection in amateur theatricals at a fashionable West End School;
at fifteen she was a genius; at seventeen she was cast as Miss Hardcastle in
the "School for Scandal;" and more than once when I saw her as Juliet I
longed, with all my soul, to be her Romeo.

'Boylike I fell madly in love with her—in love as dreamy boys at my


then years are wont to do—and nightly I haunted the theatre, often in
defiance of my tutor, and my studies became a farce; in fact they were
utterly neglected, and I had but one thought—Laura Dorillion!

'How pretty—how sweetly pretty—the name sounded to me, and I was


never weary of repeating it to myself.

'Was she pretty, you will ask? When made-up for the stage and
surrounded by all its accessories, she looked downright lovely; but, when
watching her going from her lodgings to morning rehearsal, I was obliged
to confess to myself that my goddess had rather a large mouth, but fine eyes
with a sleepy or dreamy expression, long lashes and drooping lids of which
she could make a most seductive use; that in figure she was tall but not
ungraceful, and was neither fully grown nor developed; but there seemed a
great want of finish about her for one who was alleged to be the daughter of
a noble family. This might proceed, I thought, from the style of her toilette,
which certainly did not come from Swan & Edgar's.

'The girl was quite a favourite in Hastings; she played for, sang for, and
subscribed to many local charities, and had about her none of that fastness
of dress or demeanour peculiar to so many young girls on the stage; and so I
loved her, or thought I did. I was but a boy—it was what the French—so
happy in their phrases—call un grand caprice enflammé par des obstacles
—nothing more, perhaps; and the obstacles were my lack of independent
means to take her off the stage; my having no profession; and my uncle's
well known family pride, position, and general views regarding me, his
brother's only son, and all that sort of thing. Otherwise, I might have
continued "to sigh like a furnace," and eventually, when I went elsewhere,
forget her; but it was not to be.
'I was not a bad-looking fellow, and always dressed scrupulously well;
thus she was not long in discovering me as I sat night after night, bouquet in
hand, in a certain pit stall; and she no doubt connected me with the beautiful
bouquets that came to the stage door nightly, in more than one instance with
little complimentary notes on pink and perfumed paper inserted therein.

'Once she appeared at the wings with one of these notes in her hand. She
blew me a kiss from the tips of her fingers, and placed the missive in her
bosom, two little actions which raised me to the seventh heaven of ecstacy.
After that Laura Dorillion sang to me, acted to me, glanced and smiled at
me in a way that completed her conquest, and, in short, I was a lost Tony
Dalton!

'As a pledge of solemn engagement, I gave her a diamond and opal ring.

'In the end I achieved an introduction in the most matter-of-fact way in


the world—just as Sir Walter Scott did to his first love—by the prosaic offer
of my umbrella on a wet day, and then my dream began to take a more
tangible form in little lunches and solid presents, in escorting her to and
from the theatre, which became an established kind of expected duty; in
walks on the Sunday mornings along the towering cliffs that overhang the
sea; along the breezy Marina; by the Lover's Seat in lonely Fairlight Glen
with its thickly wooded sides and tapestry of wild flowers; by the Dripping
Well, that an enormous beech-tree overhangs; among the ruins of the old
castle, when "the old, old tale" was told again—not of Hastin and his men,
or of Saxons or Normans—but of our love for each other, and life became
to me a species of feverish intoxication for some weeks at least.

'Some little points of manner, accent, pronunciation certainly did at


times jar upon my better taste; and she seemed, for a girl educated at a West
End seminary for young ladies, rather ignorant of the manners and customs
of that "society" which she affected in genteel comedy to pourtray upon the
stage; but the former I attributed to association with her inferiors—to wit,
the members of the company to which she belonged.

'From what you know of my disposition and general character, you may
guess the end of all this.'
'No—I do not,' said Goring.

'I married her.'

'Whew!' whistled Goring; 'in church?'

'In church! where she was given away by the manager. The "heavy old
woman" acted as mother, two young ladies of the company were
bridesmaids, and when, tremulously, she subscribed herself in the register
Laura Dorillion, the clerk and the pew-opener gave their signatures as
witnesses. The breakfast is but a confused memory. There was no rice—no
old slippers; and we are told that no girl likes to be married without any of
the gay things which make marriage such a joyous experience—no gay
preparations—no pretty wedding in a flower-decked church—no presents—
not even a new dress!'

'Well?'

'Then came a life of misery and jealousy. I trembled when other men
went near her, and boiled with exasperation when love was openly made to
her on the stage in the mere business of the play. I had seen enough of that
done before with considerable placidity, but somehow I could not stand it
now.

'With my last quarter's allowance in my pocket, and utterly vague ideas


of the future in my mind, I left the house of my tutor and went to share her
humble lodging in a rather obscure part of Hastings, and soon the sordid
nature of our surroundings began to impress me most disagreeably, as the
bubble began to burst.

'At last there came a night which I was fated not to forget for a time.

'I had brought her home from the theatre, where she had acquitted
herself with singular skill and sweetness as blind Iolanthe in "King René's
Daughter," and she was in the act of repeating a portion of her dialogue
with Tristan as we ascended the stair—
"Another time,
When I had pined for many tedious days,
Because my father was detained from home,
I wept for very gladness when he came!
Through tears I gave my bursting heart relief,
And at mine eyes it found a rushing vent."

'In our little sitting-room I found an elderly man, wearing a battered


grey hat girt by a black band, and clad in shabby-genteel—nay, quite
threadbare garments—standing on the hearthrug, smoking a short clay pipe,
with his coat-tails over his arms, his bleared and tipsy-looking eyes—one of
which had a white plaister over it—regarding the furniture and details of the
apartment critically, while he took a sip from a pewter mug of beer, and set
it down with a clank.

'"Hullo, my girl," he exclaimed; "here you are at last! This here is a rum
go. So this is the young gent as you have gone and made such a fool of
yourself by marrying?"

'Laura's heart was beating fast—so fast that even respiration seemed to
suffocate her; her face was blanched; her eyes had a scared expression; and
gave me a glance that seemed full of shame and agony.

'"Who is this impertinent scoundrel?" I demanded.

'"Scoundrel in your teeth again!" he exclaimed, turning up the cuffs of


his coat, threateningly, and striking his battered hat firmly on his head; "is
this your company manners, you young cub?" he added, with a frightful
imprecation.

'"Who are you, and what do you want here?" I demanded, looking about
for a stick.

'"Dabchick is my name! Jo Dabchick, clown, Banger's Circus,


Surreyside o' the river, and no mistake; and I have come here to see my own
daughter, Laura Dorillion, as she calls herself, or must it be Mrs. Antony
Dalton now—Lady Dalton perhaps that's to be, when your uncle hops his
blessed twig?"

'"Oh, father," said Laura, in a breathless voice, "why have you come,
and how did you find me out?"

'"I come because I want money; and, as for finding you out, that was
easy enough; the Hastings theatre ain't at the bottom of the sea."

"'And mother?"

'"Is there in your bed—has had a drop too much, and so I have tucked
her in there; and now what have you got for supper—tripe, sausages,
bloaters, or summat tasty, I hope? Speak—you look as lively as a couple of
glow-worms in the sunshine!"

'My soul sickened within me! And with these additions to our little
household—a slatternly, odious mother, a beery, broken-down actor, whose
line had once been genteel comedy, a clown in a circus latterly, but whose
incessant dissipation had deprived him of all employment—life became a
burden now, and my stupendous folly stood in letters of fire before me.

'Existence became unendurable, and neither Laura nor I dared to look


forward to the dark and vague future we might be doomed to drag out in the
world.

'Their arrival filled my wife with shame and anger, and I do believe with
generous sorrow for me. My quarter's pittance was soon expended; her
salary could not maintain us all. My tutor soon discovered the whole
situation, and laid it mercilessly bare before my uncle, Sir John Dalton, who
from that hour cast me off, ignored my letters and my existence, and
disinherited me by his will.

'I had no money, or means of getting any, after the best of my jewellery
and wardrobe had departed. Laura's father and mother soon proved abusive
and most obnoxious to me; they insulted me hourly, and eventually drove
me from the squalid lodgings we shared together. Laura one night took their
part; it required but that to fill up the measure of my disgust, and I found
myself wandering in the streets with all I possessed in the world—the
clothes that I wore. I rooted the love of her out of my heart; but it was long
before I could efface her image, which often a fancied resemblance in
another brought before me.

'There are some men of whom it is said that they will not acknowledge
their false steps even to their own hearts; but I am not one of them, and
must acknowledge, dear Goring, that in sackcloth and ashes I have repented
of mine.

'My haughty uncle proving obdurate to the last degree, there was no
hope for me so far as he was concerned; so I took the Queen's shilling and
sailed for India, and there I strove to forget my boyish folly, the
contemptible position I had occupied with such a father and mother-in-law,
the disgust and horror with which their advent and their surroundings
inspired me—sick, too, of the slatternly girl I had married, for slatternly she
too was in her home and when off the stage, reserving all her toilettes and
her graces for the British public.

'You know the rest. I soon got a commission through the ranks—sooner
than I could have got it through the medium of a crammer and exams. From
the hour I turned at midnight along the Marina of Hastings, and heard the
monotonous sound of the surge, as it rolled on the beach in the dark, I have
never heard of my wife or been able to trace her. Her odious parents I
discovered have been long since dead, and that she is no longer on the
stage, or, if so, bears another name, or has gone I know not where.

'I have sometimes hoped that I had been freed from her by death—
ungenerous though that hope may be, and that my uncle must have heard of
her demise, when by a codicil to his will he left me all his fortune. And now
you know why it was that I dared not make a proposal to Mrs. Trelawney—
nor did I ever think of love or marriage till I met her lately; and how I love
her, and have struggled to tear that hopeless passion from my heart, is
known only to God and to myself!'
CHAPTER XI.

THE OLD LOVE AND THE NEW.

'Poor Dalton! you have indeed suffered deeply—paid dear for your
boyish folly,' said Goring, as the former concluded the little story of his
early life in a voice tremulous with emotion. 'Now the apparent
inconsistency of your attention to Mrs. Trelawney is quite accounted for.'

'Until I knew myself free to ask her to be my wife I had sworn in my


inner heart that I would not do so—indeed, I dared not do so; yet, for the
life of me, attracted as I was, I could not help hovering about her; but now I
am going to Ashanti, and there is an end of it! Such was the end of the fatal
passion of a foolish lad. Since those days I have never entered a theatre, and
shudder at the mere idea of a dramatic situation.'

'You are in one now,' said a sweet and tremulous voice, as Mrs.
Trelawney, who, unseen and unheard by them in their preoccupation, had
softly entered the room, stood before them.

How much or how little she had overheard they did not precisely know,
but with a smile of mingled sadness and sweetness, pride and triumph, she
threw up her veil, and the full light of the gasalier overhead fell upon her
rich, shining hair, her beautiful and animated countenance.

'Mrs. Trelawney!' exclaimed the friends together, as they started from


their chairs.

'You here—in Southampton!' added Dalton, in a voice tremulous with


bewilderment.

'Yes. Can it be that you have yet to learn that I am that Laura Dorillion
to whom you gave this opal and diamond ring, with whom you spent so
many a sweet hour, by Fairlight Glen, the East Cliffs that overhang the sea,
by the Dripping Well, and amid the old castle walls at Hastings—the Laura
whom you married, and from whom you so coldly fled?'
Dalton tried to speak, but his voice was gone; he could but stretch his
hand towards her, without advancing, while regarding her with growing
bewilderment; so she spoke again, with tears in her voice.

'You ought to have forgiven me the humility of my origin, for that I


could not help—ay, forgiven me long ago, Anthony. Remember that "he
who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself," for
"every man hath need of forgiveness," we are told.'

'My wife—you?' exclaimed Dalton.

'Laura—your own wife, whom you married in St. Clement's Church on


the tenth of August. You remember the day?'

The words were simple, but spoken with great pathos, and all her
sparkling manner seemed to have left her as she seated herself, and he hung
over her.

'Do you forgive me, Laura, and pardon me—pardon me, and love me?'

'You know that I love you.'

He was about to put an arm round her, when he paused, and said,

'But whence this name of Trelawney?'

'I assumed it from an aunt, who left me a small fortune, but for which I
—I might have been compelled to struggle in penury on the stage to support
your daughter.'

'My daughter!' exclaimed Dalton, a great love for the beautiful little girl
lie knew suddenly gushing up in his heart. 'My daughter—mine?'

'Our child,' said Laura, softly.

'Born—when?'

'Six months after you left me at Hastings.'


'But her name—of Antoinette?'

'Is but the feminine of your own—Anthony.'

'Oh, what a blind fool I have been—Laura—Laura!'

Goring, who had been studying a picture on the wall, now thought he
might as well withdraw softly, and smoke his cigar outside.

Taller in stature, fuller in figure, more fully developed in every way, and
with a bearing, manner, and grace cultivated by those among whom she had
moved, it required a certain effort to recognise in her the girlish Laura
Dorillion of the past time. Though her whole style was different—finer and
more statuesque—and the mode of her toilette and of dressing her hair was
different, her voice and the inflections of it, her expression of eye, the droop
of the lid and flicker of the long lash, and the sweet smile of her lip were, he
now saw, all unchanged, and he pressed her to his breast in the rapture of
the moment, forgetting that the transport which was soon to bear him away
was at that supreme moment of joy having her fires banked up preparatory
to putting to sea.

'And you love me, Laura?' he never was tired of repeating, and hearing
the sweet admission that she did so. 'Oh, why have you concealed till this—
why have you concealed yourself thus, and from me?'

'I wished to try you—to test you—to compel you to love me, and I have
done so, have I not?' she asked, taking his face between her hands and
gazing tenderly into his eyes.

'You know now what fettered my tongue,' said he, with a sigh.

'I knew you were in bondage—but it was in bondage to me. Your love
for me was an insult to myself; your compliments and intentions in the
present time, were an implied insult to my past. You dared to love me,
knowing that you had a wife somewhere—where, you knew not; but you
little thought that Mrs. Trelawney, the supposed widow of a mythical
Trelawney, and Laura Dorillion were one and the same person. Now, is the
situation dramatic? Do you remember that you told me that you loved me
against your own will and conscience, and that my very name of Laura
repressed that love at times? Heavens, could you but know what I felt—
how my heart was wrung—my woman's pride alternately roused and
crushed by admissions such as these! I have suffered greatly, darling, but all
is over now,' she added, laying her cheek on his breast, while his lips were
pressed to her forehead.

After a time, she spoke again.

'I knew not that you were in the Army, or were in life. I knew not of
your existence till I met you suddenly at Aldershot, after I had lived years
of seclusion in the Channel Isles. I thanked God for the discovery; I vowed
to win you again, if I could, before I would reveal myself—and I have done
so.'

She whose love he had so longed and prayed for, and yet striven to root
out of his heart, was now his own—his own after all; and all the pent-up
love of lonely years had found reward at last.

'Often before I met you again—discovered you, and vowed to make you
mine again, I had pondered that, but for Netty's sake, whether, taking it all
in all, the good with the bad, life was worth living,' said she, her eyes full of
tears now.

'And till now, Laura, my life has seemed a gloomy and empty one. I was
often appalled by the aimlessness and isolation of it.'

'How strange it is that you never discovered me!' said Laura; 'yet I have
seen your eyes wander more than once to this engagement ring.'

'And stranger still that when I heard you sing the old, old song that was
once so familiar, making my heart thrill with troubled memories, no light
came to me. Oh, Laura, you acted well your part to this joyous ending.'

'I told you that I had found the verses in an old album, where a friend
wrote them years ago; that friend was yourself. You remember so lately
telling me that I had ruined your life?'
'Yes, Laura, and your cruel smile.'

'God knows how at that moment I longed to cast myself on your breast,
Anthony, as I do now, and barter all my past wrongs for a single kiss!'

His Christian name again on her lips, as in the days of their boy and girl
love, ere the black change came, and how strange, yet familiar—how sweet,
how dear it sounded!

'How did you learn I was here with Goring?' he asked, tenderly.

'I learned it at the transport.'

'My darling—my darling, why have you kept all this secret so long—the
secret that you were my own?'

'As I told you, I would never be more to you than I am now, were I to
live a hundred years, and was I not right?'

'But to keep the secret so long—I might never have learned it, for to-
morrow will see us separated. Hastings was the first volume of our
romance.'

'Southampton was the second.'

'The third is Ashanti. How it will end, God alone knows, darling,' he
added, straining her in his embrace, while her tears fell fast now; 'if spared
to return to you, Laura—to you and little Netty—you will never regret your
love and trust in me at last—your confidence in my affection.'

Poor Dalton—'if spared;' he was right to say that, with the fate and
fortune of a barbarous war before him.

The old love had become the new one, and the new love was the old;
and yet it seemed that to-night both had entered on a new relationship.

And, as we have said, the two last appeals of Jerry Wilmot and Dalton
ended differently. Practically they came to the same conclusion—a
separation from those they loved.
Laura now deplored deeply her pride and folly, as she deemed it, in
playing the game she had done so long; but the separation had to be faced
and endured; yet she watched the transport, as it steamed down
Southampton water, till it melted into the haze; and it was not until then that
she fully realised that her husband, so lately restored to her, was gone again,
and perhaps for ever.

But that her appearance on board would have excited speculation in the
battalion, she would have gone down the Channel with the steamer and
come ashore in the pilot's boat at Deal.

On the long, though rapid voyage, Dalton had ample food for reflection,
for thinking of the strangeness of his fate, that for months past he had been
associating with, meeting and seeing at intervals, and loving deeply, a
woman who was his own wife, and yet he knew it not!

Why had she played this perilous game so long?

Why, but for the temptation to win him again, and for the gratification
of a kind of affectionate vengeance. And now they were separated, each
with but a memory to the other again.

A few photos and two locks of hair—the light blond hair of his wife, a
golden curl of his little daughter—were all that poor Dalton took with him
to the burning coast of Ashanti, to remind him of the happiness he had so
lately and so briefly tasted, and might never taste more.

CHAPTER XII.

BEVIL GORING'S RESOLUTION.

In his bitter anxiety Bevil Goring condescended again to apply to Mr.


Solomon Slagg as to the movements of Lord Cadbury; but ignorant perhaps

You might also like