heretoforeto
the
wisest
upon
the
earth
!
A
scrap
of
paper
,
a
shred
of
some
torn
garment
,
the
button
off
a
coat
,
a
word
dropped
incautiously
from
the
overcautious
lips
of
guilt
,
the
fragment
of
a
letter
,
the
shutting
or
opening
of
a
door
,
a
shadow
on
a
window-blind
,
the
accuracy
of
a
moment
tested
by
one
of
Benson
's
watches
—
a
thousand
circumstances
so
slight
as
to
be
forgotten
by
the
criminal
,
but
links
of
iron
in
the
wonderful
chain
forged
by
the
science
of
the
detective
officer
;
and
lo
!
the
gallows
is
built
up
;
the
solemn
bell
tolls
through
the
dismal
gray
of
the
early
morning
,
the
drop
creaks
under
the
guilty
feet
,
and
the
penalty
of
crime
is
paid
.
"
Faint
shadows
of
green
and
crimson
fell
upon
my
lady
's
face
from
the
painted
escutcheons
in
the
mullioned
window
by
which
she
sat
;
but
every
trace
of
the
natural
color
of
that
face
had
faded
out
,
leaving
it
a
ghastly
ashen
gray
.
Sitting
quietly
in
her
chair
,
her
head
fallen
back
upon
the
amber
damask
cushions
,
and
her
little
hands
lying
powerless
in
her
lap
,
Lady
Audley
had
fainted
away
.
"
The
radius
grows
narrower
day
by
day
,
"
said
Robert
Audley
.
"
George
Talboys
never
reached
Southampton
.
"
CHAPTER
XVI
.
ROBERT
AUDLEY
GETS
HIS
CONGE
.
The
Christmas
week
was
over
,
and
one
by
one
the
country
visitors
dropped
away
from
Audley
Court
.
The
fat
squire
and
his
wife
abandoned
the
gray
,
tapestried
chamber
,
and
left
the
black-browed
warriors
looming
from
the
wall
to
scowl
upon
and
threaten
new
guests
,
or
to
glare
vengefully
upon
vacancy
.
The
merry
girls
on
the
second
story
packed
,
or
caused
to
be
packed
,
their
trunks
and
imperials
,
and
tumbled
gauze
ball-dresses
were
taken
home
that
had
been
brought
fresh
to
Audley
.
Blundering
old
family
chariots
,
with
horses
whose
untrimmed
fetlocks
told
of
rougher
work
than
even
country
roads
,
were
brought
round
to
the
broad
space
before
the
grim
oak
door
,
and
laden
with
chaotic
heaps
of
womanly
luggage
.
Pretty
rosy
faces
peeped
out
of
carriage
windows
to
smile
the
last
farewell
upon
the
group
at
the
hall
door
,
as
the
vehicle
rattled
and
rumbled
under
the
ivied
archway
.
Sir
Michael
was
in
request
everywhere
.
Shaking
hands
with
the
young
sportsmen
;
kissing
the
rosy-cheeked
girls
;
sometimes
even
embracing
portly
matrons
who
came
to
thank
him
for
their
pleasant
visit
;
everywhere
genial
,
hospitable
,
generous
,
happy
,
and
beloved
,
the
baronet
hurried
from
room
to
room
,
from
the
hall
to
the
stables
,
from
the
stables
to
the
court-yard
,
from
the
court-yard
to
the
arched
gateway
to
speed
the
parting
guest
.
My
lady
's
yellow
curls
flashed
hither
and
thither
like
wandering
gleams
of
sunshine
on
these
busy
days
of
farewell
.
Her
great
blue
eyes
had
a
pretty
,
mournful
look
,
in
charming
unison
with
the
soft
pressure
of
her
little
hand
,
and
that
friendly
,
though
perhaps
rather
stereotyped
speech
,
in
which
she
told
her
visitors
how
she
was
so
sorry
to
lose
them
,
and
how
she
did
n't
know
what
she
should
do
till
they
came
once
more
to
enliven
the
court
by
their
charming
society
.
But
however
sorry
my
lady
might
be
to
lose
her
visitors
,
there
was
at
least
one
guest
whose
society
she
was
not
deprived
of
.
Robert
Audley
showed
no
intention
of
leaving
his
uncle
's
house
.
He
had
no
professional
duties
,
he
said
;
Figtree
Court
was
delightfully
shady
in
hot
weather
,
but
there
was
a
sharp
corner
round
which
the
wind
came
in
the
summer
months
,
armed
with
avenging
rheumatisms
and
influenzas
.
Everybody
was
so
good
to
him
at
the
Court
,
that
really
he
had
no
inclination
to
hurry
away
.
Sir
Michael
had
but
one
answer
to
this
:
"
Stay
,
my
dear
boy
;
stay
,
my
dear
Bob
,
as
long
as
ever
you
like
.
I
have
no
son
,
and
you
stand
to
me
in
the
place
of
one
.
Make
yourself
agreeable
to
Lucy
,
and
make
the
Court
your
home
as
long
as
you
live
.
"
To
which
Robert
would
merely
reply
by
grasping
his
uncle
's
hand
vehemently
,
and
muttering
something
about
"
a
jolly
old
prince
.
"
It
was
to
be
observed
that
there
was
sometimes
a
certain
vague
sadness
in
the
young
man
's
tone
when
he
called
Sir
Michael
"
a
jolly
old
prince
;
"
some
shadow
of
affectionate
regret
that
brought
a
mist
into
Robert
's
eyes
,
as
he
sat
in
a
corner
of
the
room
looking
thoughtfully
at
the
white-bearded
baronet
.
Before
the
last
of
the
young
sportsmen
departed
,
Sir
Harry
Towers
demanded
and
obtained
an
interview
with
Miss
Alicia
Audley
in
the
oak
library
—
an
interview
in
which
considerable
emotion
was
displayed
by
the
stalwart
young
fox-hunter
;
so
much
emotion
,
indeed
,
and
of
such
a
genuine
and
honest
character
,
that
Alicia
fairly
broke
down
as
she
told
him
she
should
forever
esteem
and
respect
him
for
his
true
and
noble
heart
,
but
that
he
must
never
,
never
,
unless
he
wished
to
cause
her
the
most
cruel
distress
,
ask
more
from
her
than
this
esteem
and
respect
.
Sir
Harry
left
the
library
by
the
French
window
opening
into
the
pond-garden
.
He
strolled
into
that
very
lime-walk
which
George
Talboys
had
compared
to
an
avenue
in
a
churchyard
,
and
under
the
leafless
trees
fought
the
battle
of
his
brave
young
heart
.
"
What
a
fool
I
am
to
feel
it
like
this
!
"
he
cried
,
stamping
his
foot
upon
the
frosty
ground
.
"
I
always
knew
it
would
be
so
;
I
always
knew
that
she
was
a
hundred
times
too
good
for
me
.
God
bless
her
!
How
nobly
and
tenderly
she
spoke
;
how
beautiful
she
looked
with
the
crimson
blushes
under
her
brown
skin
,
and
the
tears
in
her
big
,
gray
eyes
—
almost
as
handsome
as
the
day
she
took
the
sunk
fence
,
and
let
me
put
the
brush
in
her
hat
as
we
rode
home
!
God
bless
her
!
I
can
get
over
anything
as
long
as
she
does
n't
care
for
that
sneaking
lawyer
.
But
I
could
n't
stand
that
.
"
That
sneaking
lawyer
,
by
which
appellation
Sir
Harry
alluded
to
Mr.
Robert
Audley
,
was
standing
in
the
hall
,
looking
at
a
map
of
the
midland
counties
,
when
Alicia
came
out
of
the
library
,
with
red
eyes
,
after
her
interview
with
the
fox-hunting
baronet
.
Robert
,
who
was
short-sighted
,
had
his
eyes
within
half
an
inch
of
the
surface
of
the
map
as
the
young
lady
approached
him
.
"
Yes
,
"
he
said
,
"
Norwich
is
in
Norfolk
,
and
that
fool
,
young
Vincent
,
said
it
was
in
Herefordshire
.
Ha
,
Alicia
,
is
that
you
?
"
He
turned
round
so
as
to
intercept
Miss
Audley
on
her
way
to
the
staircase
.
"
Yes
,
"
replied
his
cousin
curtly
,
trying
to
pass
him
.
"
Alicia
,
you
have
been
crying
.
"
The
young
lady
did
not
condescend
to
reply
.
"
You
have
been
crying
,
Alicia
.
Sir
Harry
Towers
,
of
Towers
Park
,
in
the
county
of
Herts
,
has
been
making
you
an
offer
of
his
hand
,
eh
?
"
"
Have
you
been
listening
at
the
door
,
Mr.
Audley
?
"
"
I
have
not
,
Miss
Audley
.
On
principle
,
I
object
to
listen
,
and
in
practice
I
believe
it
to
be
a
very
troublesome
proceeding
;
but
I
am
a
barrister
,
Miss
Alicia
,
and
able
to
draw
a
conclusion
by
induction
.
Do
you
know
what
inductive
evidence
is
,
Miss
Audley
?
"
"
No
,
"
replied
Alicia
,
looking
at
her
cousin
as
a
handsome
young
panther
might
look
at
its
daring
tormentor
.
"
I
thought
not
.
I
dare
say
Sir
Harry
would
ask
if
it
was
a
new
kind
of
horse-ball
.
I
knew
by
induction
that
the
baronet
was
going
to
make
you
an
offer
;
first
,
because
he
came
downstairs
with
his
hair
parted
on
the
wrong
side
,
and
his
face
as
pale
as
a
tablecloth
;
secondly
,
because
he
could
n't
eat
any
breakfast
,
and
let
his
coffee
go
the
wrong
way
;
and
,
thirdly
,
because
he
asked
for
an
interview
with
you
before
he
left
the
Court
.
Well
,
how
's
it
to
be
,
Alicia
?
Do
we
marry
the
baronet
,
and
is
poor
Cousin
Bob
to
be
the
best
man
at
the
wedding
?
"
"
Sir
Harry
Towers
is
a
noble-hearted
young
man
,
"
said
Alicia
,
still
trying
to
pass
her
cousin
.
"
But
do
we
accept
him
—
yes
or
no
?
Are
we
to
be
Lady
Towers
,
with
a
superb
estate
in
Hertfordshire
,
summer
quarters
for
our
hunters
,
and
a
drag
with
outriders
to
drive
us
across
to
papa
's
place
in
Essex
?
Is
it
to
be
so
,
Alicia
,
or
not
?
"
"
What
is
that
to
you
,
Mr.
Robert
Audley
?
"
cried
Alicia
,
passionately
.
"
What
do
you
care
what
becomes
of
me
,
or
whom
I
marry
?
If
I
married
a
chimney-sweep
you
'd
only
lift
up
your
eyebrows
and
say
,
'
Bless
my
soul
,
she
was
always
eccentric
.
'
I
have
refused
Sir
Harry
Towers
;
but
when
I
think
of
his
generous
and
unselfish
affection
,
and
compare
it
with
the
heartless
,
lazy
,
selfish
,
supercilious
indifference
of
other
men
,
I
've
a
good
mind
to
run
after
him
and
tell
him
—
"
"
That
you
'll
retract
,
and
be
my
Lady
Towers
?
"
"
Yes
.
"
"
Then
do
n't
,
Alicia
,
do
n't
,
"
said
Robert
Audley
,
grasping
his
cousin
's
slender
little
wrist
,
and
leading
her
up-stairs
.
"
Come
into
the
drawing-room
with
me
,
Alicia
,
my
poor
little
cousin
;
my
charming
,
impetuous
,
alarming
little
cousin
.
Sit
down
here
in
this
mullioned
window
,
and
let
us
talk
seriously
and
leave
off
quarreling
if
we
can
.
"
The
cousins
had
the
drawing-room
all
to
themselves
.
Sir
Michael
was
out
,
my
lady
in
her
own
apartments
,
and
poor
Sir
Harry
Towers
walking
up
and
down
upon
the
gravel
walk
,
darkened
with
the
flickering
shadows
of
the
leafless
branches
in
the
cold
winter
sunshine
.
"
My
poor
little
Alicia
,
"
said
Robert
,
as
tenderly
as
if
he
had
been
addressing
some
spoiled
child
,
"
do
you
suppose
that
because
people
do
n't
wear
vinegar
tops
,
or
part
their
hair
on
the
wrong
side
,
or
conduct
themselves
altogether
after
the
manner
of
well-meaning
maniacs
,
by
way
of
proving
the
vehemence
of
their
passion
—
do
you
suppose
because
of
this
,
Alicia
Audley
,
that
they
may
not
be
just
as
sensible
of
the
merits
of
a
dear
little
warm-hearted
and
affectionate
girl
as
ever
their
neighbors
can
be
?
Life
is
such
a
very
troublesome
matter
,
when
all
is
said
and
done
,
that
it
's
as
well
even
to
take
its
blessings
quietly
.
I
do
n't
make
a
great
howling
because
I
can
get
good
cigars
one
door
from
the
corner
of
Chancery
Lane
,
and
have
a
dear
,
good
girl
for
my
cousin
;
but
I
am
not
the
less
grateful
to
Providence
that
it
is
so
.
"
Alicia
opened
her
gray
eyes
to
their
widest
extent
,
looking
her
cousin
full
in
the
face
with
a
bewildered
stare
.
Robert
had
picked
up
the
ugliest
and
leanest
of
his
attendant
curs
,
and
was
placidly
stroking
the
animal
's
ears
.
"
Is
this
all
you
have
to
say
to
me
,
Robert
?
"
asked
Miss
Audley
,
meekly
.
"
Well
,
yes
,
I
think
so
,
"
replied
her
cousin
,
after
considerable
deliberation
.
"
I
fancy
that
what
I
wanted
to
say
was
this
—
do
n't
marry
the
fox-hunting
baronet
if
you
like
anybody
else
better
;
for
if
you
'll
only
be
patient
and
take
life
easily
,
and
try
and
reform
yourself
of
banging
doors
,
bouncing
in
and
out
rooms
,
talking
of
the
stables
,
and
riding
across
country
,
I
've
no
doubt
the
person
you
prefer
will
make
you
a
very
excellent
husband
.
"
"
Thank
you
,
cousin
,
"
said
Miss
Audley
,
crimsoning
with
bright
,
indignant
blushes
up
to
the
roots
of
her
waving
brown
hair
;
"
but
as
you
may
not
know
the
person
I
prefer
,
I
think
you
had
better
not
take
upon
yourself
to
answer
for
him
.
"
Robert
pulled
the
dog
's
ears
thoughtfully
for
some
moments
.
"
No
,
to
be
sure
,
"
he
said
,
after
a
pause
.
"
Of
course
,
if
I
do
n't
know
him
—
I
thought
I
did
.
"
"
Did
you
?
"
exclaimed
Alicia
;
and
opening
the
door
with
a
violence
that
made
her
cousin
shiver
,
she
bounced
out
of
the
drawing-room
.
"
I
only
said
I
thought
I
knew
him
,
"
Robert
called
after
her
;
and
,
then
,
as
he
sunk
into
an
easy-chair
,
he
murmured
thoughtfully
:
"
Such
a
nice
girl
,
too
,
if
she
did
n't
bounce
.
"
So
poor
Sir
Harry
Towers
rode
away
from
Audley
Court
,
looking
very
crestfallen
and
dismal
.
He
had
very
little
pleasure
in
returning
to
the
stately
mansion
,
hidden
among
sheltering
oaks
and
venerable
beeches
.
The
square
,
red
brick
house
,
gleaming
at
the
end
of
a
long
arcade
of
leafless
trees
was
to
be
forever
desolate
,
he
thought
,
since
Alicia
would
not
come
to
be
its
mistress
.
A
hundred
improvements
planned
and
thought
of
were
dismissed
from
his
mind
as
useless
now
.
The
hunter
that
Jim
the
trainer
was
breaking
in
for
a
lady
;
the
two
pointer
pups
that
were
being
reared
for
the
next
shooting
season
;
the
big
black
retriever
that
would
have
carried
Alicia
's
parasol
;
the
pavilion
in
the
garden
,
disused
since
his
mother
's
death
,
but
which
he
had
meant
to
have
restored
for
Miss
Audley
—
all
these
things
were
now
so
much
vanity
and
vexation
of
spirit
.
"
What
's
the
good
of
being
rich
if
one
has
no
one
to
help
spend
one
's
money
?
"
said
the
young
baronet
.
"
One
only
grows
a
selfish
beggar
,
and
takes
to
drinking
too
much
port
.
It
's
a
hard
thing
that
a
girl
can
refuse
a
true
heart
and
such
stables
as
we
've
got
at
the
park
.
It
unsettles
a
man
somehow
.
"
Indeed
,
this
unlooked
for
rejection
had
very
much
unsettled
the
few
ideas
which
made
up
the
small
sum
of
the
baronet
's
mind
.
He
had
been
desperately
in
love
with
Alicia
ever
since
the
last
hunting
season
,
when
he
had
met
her
at
the
county
ball
.
His
passion
,
cherished
through
the
slow
monotony
of
a
summer
,
had
broken
out
afresh
in
the
merry
winter
months
,
and
the
young
man
's
mauvaise
honte
alone
had
delayed
the
offer
of
his
hand
.
But
he
had
never
for
a
moment
supposed
that
he
would
be
refused
;
he
was
so
used
to
the
adulation
of
mothers
who
had
daughters
to
marry
,
and
of
even
the
daughters
themselves
;
he
had
been
so
accustomed
to
feel
himself
the
leading
personage
in
an
assembly
,
although
half
the
wits
of
the
age
had
been
there
,
and
he
could
only
say
"
Haw
,
to
be
sure
!
"
and
"
By
Jove
—
hum
!
"
he
had
been
so
spoiled
by
the
flatteries
of
bright
eyes
that
looked
,
or
seemed
to
look
,
the
brighter
when
he
drew
near
,
that
without
being
possessed
of
one
shadow
of
personal
vanity
,
he
had
yet
come
to
think
that
he
had
only
to
make
an
offer
to
the
prettiest
girl
in
Essex
to
behold
himself
immediately
accepted
.
"
Yes
,
"
he
would
say
complacently
to
some
admiring
satellite
,
"
I
know
I
'm
a
good
match
,
and
I
know
what
makes
the
gals
so
civil
.
They
're
very
pretty
,
and
they
're
very
friendly
to
a
fellow
;
but
I
do
n't
care
about
'
em
.
They
're
all
alike
—
they
can
only
drop
their
eyes
and
say
,
'
Lor
'
,
Sir
Harry
,
why
do
you
call
that
curly
black
dog
a
retriever
?
'
or
'
Oh
Sir
Harry
,
and
did
the
poor
mare
really
sprain
her
pastern
shoulder-blade
?
'
I
have
n't
got
much
brains
myself
,
I
know
,
"
the
baronet
would
add
deprecatingly
;
"
and
I
do
n't
want
a
strong-minded
woman
,
who
writes
books
and
wears
green
spectacles
;
but
,
hang
it
!
I
like
a
gal
who
knows
what
she
's
talking
about
.
"
So
when
Alicia
said
"
No
,
"
or
rather
made
that
pretty
speech
about
esteem
and
respect
,
which
well-bred
young
ladies
substitute
for
the
obnoxious
monosyllable
,
Sir
Harry
Towers
felt
that
the
whole
fabric
of
the
future
he
had
built
so
complacently
was
shivered
into
a
heap
of
dingy
ruins
.
Sir
Michael
grasped
him
warmly
by
the
hand
just
before
the
young
man
mounted
his
horse
in
the
court-yard
.
"
I
'm
very
sorry
,
Towers
,
"
he
said
.
"
You
're
as
good
a
fellow
as
ever
breathed
,
and
would
have
made
my
girl
an
excellent
husband
;
but
you
know
there
's
a
cousin
,
and
I
think
that
—
"
"
Do
n't
say
that
,
Sir
Michael
,
"
interrupted
the
fox-hunter
,
energetically
.
"
I
can
get
over
anything
but
that
.
A
fellow
whose
hand
upon
the
curb
weighs
half
a
ton
(
why
,
he
pulled
the
Cavalier
's
mouth
to
pieces
,
sir
,
the
day
you
let
him
ride
the
horse
)
;
a
fellow
who
turns
his
collars
down
,
and
eats
bread
and
marmalade
!
No
,
no
,
Sir
Michael
;
it
's
a
queer
world
,
but
I
ca
n't
think
that
of
Miss
Audley
.
There
must
be
some
one
in
the
background
,
sir
;
it
ca
n't
be
the
cousin
.
"
Sir
Michael
shook
his
head
as
the
rejected
suitor
rode
away
.
"
I
do
n't
know
about
that
,
"
he
muttered
.
"
Bob
's
a
good
lad
,
and
the
girl
might
do
worse
;
but
he
hangs
back
as
if
he
did
n't
care
for
her
.
There
's
some
mystery
—
there
's
some
mystery
!
"
The
old
baronet
said
this
in
that
semi-thoughtful
tone
with
which
we
speak
of
other
people
's
affairs
.
The
shadows
of
the
early
winter
twilight
,
gathering
thickest
under
the
low
oak
ceiling
of
the
hall
,
and
the
quaint
curve
of
the
arched
doorway
,
fell
darkly
round
his
handsome
head
;
but
the
light
of
his
declining
life
,
his
beautiful
and
beloved
young
wife
,
was
near
him
,
and
he
could
see
no
shadows
when
she
was
by
.
She
came
skipping
through
the
hall
to
meet
him
,
and
,
shaking
her
golden
ringlets
,
buried
her
bright
head
on
her
husband
's
breast
.
"
So
the
last
of
our
visitors
is
gone
,
dear
,
and
we
're
all
alone
,
"
she
said
.
"
Is
n't
that
nice
?
"
"
Yes
,
darling
,
"
he
answered
fondly
,
stroking
her
bright
hair
.
"
Except
Mr.
Robert
Audley
.
How
long
is
that
nephew
of
yours
going
to
stay
here
?
"
"
As
long
as
he
likes
,
my
pet
;
he
's
always
welcome
,
"
said
the
baronet
;
and
then
,
as
if
remembering
himself
,
he
added
,
tenderly
:
"
But
not
unless
his
visit
is
agreeable
to
you
,
darling
;
not
if
his
lazy
habits
,
or
his
smoking
,
or
his
dogs
,
or
anything
about
him
is
displeasing
to
you
.
"
Lady
Audley
pursed
up
her
rosy
lips
and
looked
thoughtfully
at
the
ground
.
"
It
is
n't
that
,
"
she
said
,
hesitatingly
.
"
Mr.
Audley
is
a
very
agreeable
young
man
,
and
a
very
honorable
young
man
;
but
you
know
,
Sir
Michael
,
I
'm
rather
a
young
aunt
for
such
a
nephew
,
and
—
"
"
And
what
,
Lucy
?
"
asked
the
baronet
,
fiercely
.
"
Poor
Alicia
is
rather
jealous
of
any
attention
Mr.
Audley
pays
me
,
and
—
and
—
I
think
it
would
be
better
for
her
happiness
if
your
nephew
were
to
bring
his
visit
to
a
close
.
"
"
He
shall
go
to-night
,
Lucy
,
"
exclaimed
Sir
Michael
.
"
I
am
a
blind
,
neglectful
fool
not
to
have
thought
of
this
before
.
My
lovely
little
darling
,
it
was
scarcely
just
to
Bob
to
expose
the
poor
lad
to
your
fascinations
.
I
know
him
to
be
as
good
and
true-hearted
a
fellow
as
ever
breathed
,
but
—
but
—
he
shall
go
tonight
.
"
"
But
you
wo
n't
be
too
abrupt
,
dear
?
You
wo
n't
be
rude
?
"
"
Rude
!
No
,
Lucy
.
I
left
him
smoking
in
the
lime-walk
.
I
'll
go
and
tell
him
that
he
must
get
out
of
the
house
in
an
hour
.
"
So
in
that
leafless
avenue
,
under
whose
gloomy
shade
George
Talboys
had
stood
on
that
thunderous
evening
before
the
day
of
his
disappearance
,
Sir
Michael
Audley
told
his
nephew
that
the
Court
was
no
home
for
him
,
and
that
my
lady
was
too
young
and
pretty
to
accept
the
attentions
of
a
handsome
nephew
of
eight-and-twenty
.
Robert
only
shrugged
his
shoulders
and
elevated
his
thick
,
black
eyebrows
as
Sir
Michael
delicately
hinted
all
this
.
"
I
have
been
attentive
to
my
lady
,
"
he
said
.
"
She
interests
me
;
"
and
then
,
with
a
change
in
his
voice
,
and
an
emotion
not
common
to
him
,
he
turned
to
the
baronet
,
and
grasping
his
hand
,
exclaimed
,
"
God
forbid
,
my
dear
uncle
,
that
I
should
ever
bring
trouble
upon
such
a
noble
heart
as
yours
!
God
forbid
that
the
slightest
shadow
of
dishonor
should
ever
fall
upon
your
honored
head
—
least
of
all
through
agency
of
mine
.
"
The
young
man
uttered
these
few
words
in
a
broken
and
disjointed
fashion
in
which
Sir
Michael
had
never
heard
him
speak
,
before
,
and
then
turning
away
his
head
,
fairly
broke
down
.
He
left
the
court
that
night
,
but
he
did
not
go
far
.
Instead
of
taking
the
evening
train
for
London
,
he
went
straight
up
to
the
little
village
of
Mount
Stanning
,
and
walking
into
the
neatly-kept
inn
,
asked
Phoebe
Marks
if
he
could
be
accommodated
with
apartments
.
CHAPTER
XVII
.
AT
THE
CASTLE
INN
.
The
little
sitting-room
into
which
Phoebe
Marks
ushered
the
baronet
's
nephew
was
situated
on
the
ground
floor
,
and
only
separated
by
a
lath-and-plaster
partition
from
the
little
bar-parlor
occupied
by
the
innkeeper
and
his
wife
.
It
seemed
as
though
the
wise
architect
who
had
superintended
the
building
of
the
Castle
Inn
had
taken
especial
care
that
nothing
but
the
frailest
and
most
flimsy
material
should
be
used
,
and
that
the
wind
,
having
a
special
fancy
for
this
unprotected
spot
,
should
have
full
play
for
the
indulgence
of
its
caprices
.
To
this
end
pitiful
woodwork
had
been
used
instead
of
solid
masonry
;
rickety
ceilings
had
been
propped
up
by
fragile
rafters
,
and
beams
that
threatened
on
every
stormy
night
to
fall
upon
the
heads
of
those
beneath
them
;
doors
whose
specialty
was
never
to
be
shut
,
yet
always
to
be
banging
;
windows
constructed
with
a
peculiar
view
to
letting
in
the
draft
when
they
were
shut
,
and
keeping
out
the
air
when
they
were
open
.
The
hand
of
genius
had
devised
this
lonely
country
inn
;
and
there
was
not
an
inch
of
woodwork
,
or
trowelful
of
plaster
employed
in
all
the
rickety
construction
that
did
not
offer
its
own
peculiar
weak
point
to
every
assault
of
its
indefatigable
foe
.
Robert
looked
about
him
with
a
feeble
smile
of
resignation
.
It
was
a
change
,
decidedly
,
from
the
luxurious
comforts
of
Audley
Court
,
and
it
was
rather
a
strange
fancy
of
the
young
barrister
to
prefer
loitering
at
this
dreary
village
hostelry
to
returning
to
his
snug
chambers
in
Figtree
Court
.
But
he
had
brought
his
Lares
and
Penates
with
him
,
in
the
shape
of
his
German
pipe
,
his
tobacco
canister
,
half
a
dozen
French
novels
,
and
his
two
ill-conditioned
,
canine
favorites
,
which
sat
shivering
before
the
smoky
little
fire
,
barking
shortly
and
sharply
now
and
then
,
by
way
of
hinting
for
some
slight
refreshment
.
While
Mr.
Robert
Audley
contemplated
his
new
quarters
,
Phoebe
Marks
summoned
a
little
village
lad
who
was
in
the
habit
of
running
errands
for
her
,
and
taking
him
into
the
kitchen
,
gave
him
a
tiny
note
,
carefully
folded
and
sealed
.
"
You
know
Audley
Court
?
"
"
Yes
,
mum
.
"
"
If
you
'll
run
there
with
this
letter
to-night
,
and
see
that
it
's
put
safely
in
Lady
Audley
's
hands
,
I
'll
give
you
a
shilling
.
"
"
Yes
,
mum
.
"
"
You
understand
?
Ask
to
see
my
lady
;
you
can
say
you
've
a
message
—
not
a
note
,
mind
—
but
a
message
from
Phoebe
Marks
;
and
when
you
see
her
,
give
this
into
her
own
hand
.
"
"
Yes
,
mum
.
"
"
You
wo
n't
forget
?
"
"
No
,
mum
.
"
"
Then
be
off
with
you
.
"
The
boy
waited
for
no
second
bidding
,
but
in
another
moment
was
scudding
along
the
lonely
high
road
,
down
the
sharp
descent
that
led
to
Audley
.
Phoebe
Marks
went
to
the
window
,
and
looked
out
at
the
black
figure
of
the
lad
hurrying
through
the
dusky
winter
evening
.
"
If
there
's
any
bad
meaning
in
his
coming
here
,
"
she
thought
,
"
my
lady
will
know
of
it
in
time
,
at
any
rate
.
"
Phoebe
herself
brought
the
neatly
arranged
tea-tray
,
and
the
little
covered
dish
of
ham
and
eggs
which
had
been
prepared
for
this
unlooked-for
visitor
.
Her
pale
hair
was
as
smoothly
braided
,
and
her
light
gray
dress
fitted
as
precisely
as
of
old
.
The
same
neutral
tints
pervaded
her
person
and
her
dress
;
no
showy
rose-colored
ribbons
or
rustling
silk
gown
proclaimed
the
well-to-do
innkeeper
's
wife
.
Phoebe
Marks
was
a
person
who
never
lost
her
individuality
.
Silent
and
self-constrained
,
she
seemed
to
hold
herself
within
herself
,
and
take
no
color
from
the
outer
world
.
Robert
looked
at
her
thoughtfully
as
she
spread
the
cloth
,
and
drew
the
table
nearer
to
the
fireplace
.
"
That
,
"
he
thought
,
"
is
a
woman
who
could
keep
a
secret
.
"
The
dogs
looked
rather
suspiciously
at
the
quiet
figure
of
Mrs.
Marks
gliding
softly
about
the
room
,
from
the
teapot
to
the
caddy
,
and
from
the
caddy
to
the
kettle
singing
on
the
hob
.
"
Will
you
pour
out
my
tea
for
me
,
Mrs.
Marks
?
"
said
Robert
,
seating
himself
on
a
horsehair-covered
arm-chair
,
which
fitted
him
as
tightly
in
every
direction
as
if
he
had
been
measured
for
it
.
"
You
have
come
straight
from
the
Court
,
sir
?
"
said
Phoebe
,
as
she
handed
Robert
the
sugar-basin
.
"
Yes
;
I
only
left
my
uncle
's
an
hour
ago
.
"
"
And
my
lady
,
sir
,
was
she
quite
well
?
"
"
Yes
,
quite
well
.
"
"
As
gay
and
light-hearted
as
ever
,
sir
?
"
"
As
gay
and
light-hearted
as
ever
.
"
Phoebe
retired
respectfully
after
having
given
Mr.
Audley
his
tea
,
but
as
she
stood
with
her
hand
upon
the
lock
of
the
door
he
spoke
again
.
"
You
knew
Lady
Audley
when
she
was
Miss
Lucy
Graham
,
did
you
not
?
"
he
asked
.
"
Yes
,
sir
.
I
lived
at
Mrs.
Dawson
's
when
my
lady
was
governess
there
.
"
"
Indeed
!
Was
she
long
in
the
surgeon
's
family
?
"
"
A
year
and
a
half
,
sir
.
"
"
And
she
came
from
London
?
"
"
Yes
,
sir
.
"
"
And
she
was
an
orphan
,
I
believe
?
"
"
Yes
,
sir
.
"
"
Always
as
cheerful
as
she
is
now
?
"
"
Always
,
sir
.
"
Robert
emptied
his
teacup
and
handed
it
to
Mrs.
Marks
.
Their
eyes
met
—
a
lazy
look
in
his
,
and
an
active
,
searching
glance
in
hers
.
"
This
woman
would
be
good
in
a
witness-box
,
"
he
thought
;
"
it
would
take
a
clever
lawyer
to
bother
her
in
a
cross-examination
.
"
He
finished
his
second
cup
of
tea
,
pushed
away
his
plate
,
fed
his
dogs
,
and
lighted
his
pipe
,
while
Phoebe
carried
off
the
tea-tray
.
The
wind
came
whistling
up
across
the
frosty
open
country
,
and
through
the
leafless
woods
,
and
rattled
fiercely
at
the
window-frames
.
"
There
's
a
triangular
draught
from
those
two
windows
and
the
door
that
scarcely
adds
to
the
comfort
of
this
apartment
,
"
murmured
Robert
;
"
and
there
certainly
are
pleasantér
sensations
than
that
of
standing
up
to
one
's
knees
in
cold
water
.
"
He
poked
the
fire
,
patted
his
dogs
,
put
on
his
great
coat
,
rolled
a
rickety
old
sofa
close
to
the
hearth
,
wrapped
his
legs
in
his
railway
rug
,
and
stretching
himself
at
full
length
upon
the
narrow
horsehair
cushion
,
smoked
his
pipe
,
and
watched
the
bluish-gray
wreaths
curling
upward
to
the
dingy
ceiling
.
"
No
,
"
he
murmured
,
again
;
"
that
is
a
woman
who
can
keep
a
secret
.
A
counsel
for
the
prosecution
could
get
very
little
out
of
her
.
"
I
have
said
that
the
bar-parlor
was
only
separated
from
the
sitting-room
occupied
by
Robert
by
a
lath-and-plaster
partition
.
The
young
barrister
could
hear
the
two
or
three
village
tradesmen
and
a
couple
of
farmers
laughing
and
talking
round
the
bar
,
while
Luke
Marks
served
them
from
his
stock
of
liquors
.
Very
often
he
could
even
hear
their
words
,
especially
the
landlord
's
,
for
he
spoke
in
a
coarse
,
loud
voice
,
and
had
a
more
boastful
manner
than
any
of
his
customers
.
"
The
man
is
a
fool
,
"
said
Robert
,
as
he
laid
down
his
pipe
.
"
I
'll
go
and
talk
to
him
by-and-by
.
"
He
waited
till
the
few
visitors
to
the
Castle
had
dropped
away
one
by
one
,
and
when
Luke
Marks
had
bolted
the
door
upon
the
last
of
his
customers
,
he
strolled
quietly
into
the
bar-parlor
,
where
the
landlord
was
seated
with
his
wife
.
Phoebe
was
busy
at
a
little
table
,
upon
which
stood
a
prim
work-box
,
with
every
reel
of
cotton
and
glistening
steel
bodkin
in
its
appointed
place
.
She
was
darning
the
coarse
gray
stockings
that
adorned
her
husband
's
awkward
feet
,
but
she
did
her
work
as
daintily
as
if
they
had
been
my
lady
's
delicate
silken
hose
.
I
say
that
she
took
no
color
from
external
things
,
and
that
the
vague
air
of
refinement
that
pervaded
her
nature
clung
to
her
as
closely
in
the
society
of
her
boorish
husband
at
the
Castle
Inn
as
in
Lady
Audley
's
boudoir
at
the
Court
.
She
looked
up
suddenly
as
Robert
entered
the
bar-parlor
.
There
was
some
shade
of
vexation
in
her
pale
gray
eyes
,
which
changed
to
an
expression
of
anxiety
—
nay
,
rather
of
almost
terror
—
as
she
glanced
from
Mr.
Audley
to
Luke
Marks
.
"
I
have
come
in
for
a
few
minutes
'
chat
before
I
go
to
bed
,
"
said
Robert
,
settling
himself
very
comfortably
before
the
cheerful
fire
.
"
Would
you
object
to
a
cigar
,
Mrs.
Marks
?
I
mean
,
of
course
,
to
my
smoking
one
,
"
he
added
,
explanatorily
.
"
Not
at
all
,
sir
.
"
"
It
would
be
a
good
'
un
her
objectin
'
to
a
bit
o
'
'
bacca
,
"
growled
Mr.
Marks
,
"
when
me
and
the
customers
smokes
all
day
.
"
Robert
lighted
his
cigar
with
a
gilt-paper
match
of
Phoebe
's
making
that
adorned
the
chimney-piece
,
and
took
half
a
dozen
reflective
puffs
before
he
spoke
.
"
I
want
you
to
tell
me
all
about
Mount
Stanning
,
Mr.
Marks
,
"
he
said
,
presently
.
"
Then
that
's
pretty
soon
told
,
"
replied
Luke
,
with
a
harsh
,
grating
laugh
.
"
Of
all
the
dull
holes
as
ever
a
man
set
foot
in
,
this
is
about
the
dullest
.
Not
that
the
business
do
n't
pay
pretty
tidy
;
I
do
n't
complain
of
that
;
but
I
should
ha
'
liked
a
public
at
Chelmsford
,
or
Brentwood
,
or
Romford
,
or
some
place
where
there
's
a
bit
of
life
in
the
streets
;
and
I
might
have
had
it
,
"
he
added
,
discontentedly
,
"
if
folks
had
n't
been
so
precious
stingy
.
"
As
her
husband
muttered
this
complaint
in
a
grumbling
undertone
,
Phoebe
looked
up
from
her
work
and
spoke
to
him
.
"
We
forgot
the
brew-house
door
,
Luke
,
"
she
said
.
"
Will
you
come
with
me
and
help
me
put
up
the
bar
?
"
"
The
brew-house
door
can
bide
for
to-night
,
"
said
Mr.
Marks
;
"
I
ai
n't
agoin
'
to
move
now
.
I
've
seated
myself
for
a
comfortable
smoke
.
"
He
took
a
long
clay
pipe
from
a
corner
of
the
fender
as
he
spoke
,
and
began
to
fill
it
deliberately
.
"
I
do
n't
feel
easy
about
that
brew-house
door
,
Luke
,
"
remonstrated
his
wife
;
"
there
are
always
tramps
about
,
and
they
can
get
in
easily
when
the
bar
is
n't
up
.
"
"
Go
and
put
the
bar
up
yourself
,
then
,
ca
n't
you
?
"
answered
Mr.
Marks
.
"
It
's
too
heavy
for
me
to
lift
.
"
"
Then
let
it
bide
,
if
you
're
too
fine
a
lady
to
see
to
it
yourself
.
You
're
very
anxious
all
of
a
sudden
about
this
here
brew-house
door
.
I
suppose
you
do
n't
want
me
to
open
my
mouth
to
this
here
gent
,
that
's
about
it
.
Oh
,
you
need
n't
frown
at
me
to
stop
my
speaking
!
You
're
always
putting
in
your
tongue
and
clipping
off
my
words
before
I
've
half
said
'
em
;
but
I
wo
n't
stand
it
.
"
"
Do
you
hear
?
I
wo
n't
stand
it
!
"
Phoebe
Marks
shrugged
her
shoulders
,
folded
her
work
,
shut
her
work-box
,
and
crossing
her
hands
in
her
lap
,
sat
with
her
gray
eyes
fixed
upon
her
husband
's
bull-like
face
.
"
Then
you
do
n't
particularly
care
to
live
at
Mount
Stanning
?
"
said
Robert
,
politely
,
as
if
anxious
to
change
the
conversation
.
"
No
,
I
do
n't
,
"
answered
Luke
;
"
and
I
do
n't
care
who
knows
it
;
and
,
as
I
said
before
,
if
folks
had
n't
been
so
precious
stingy
,
I
might
have
had
a
public
in
a
thrivin
'
market
town
,
instead
of
this
tumble-down
old
place
,
where
a
man
has
his
hair
blowed
off
his
head
on
a
windy
day
.
What
's
fifty
pound
,
or
what
's
a
hundred
pound
—
"
"
Luke
!
Luke
!
"
"
No
,
you
're
not
goin
'
to
stop
my
mouth
with
all
your
'
Luke
,
Lukes
!
'
"
answered
Mr.
Marks
to
his
wife
's
remonstrance
.
"
I
say
again
,
what
's
a
hundred
pound
?
"
"
No
,
"
answered
Robert
Audley
,
with
wonderful
distinctness
,
and
addressing
his
words
to
Luke
Marks
,
but
fixing
his
eyes
upon
Phoebe
's
anxious
face
.
"
What
,
indeed
,
is
a
hundred
pounds
to
a
man
possessed
of
the
power
which
you
hold
,
or
rather
which
your
wife
holds
,
over
the
person
in
question
.
"
Phoebe
's
face
,
at
all
times
almost
colorless
,
seemed
scarcely
capable
of
growing
paler
;
but
as
her
eyelids
drooped
under
Robert
Audley
's
searching
glance
,
a
visible
change
came
over
the
pallid
hues
of
her
complexion
.
"
A
quarter
to
twelve
,
"
said
Robert
,
looking
at
his
watch
.
"
Late
hours
for
such
a
quiet
village
as
Mount
Stanning
.
Good-night
,
my
worthy
host
.
Good-night
,
Mrs.
Marks
.
You
need
n't
send
me
my
shaving
water
till
nine
o'clock
to-morrow
morning
.
"
CHAPTER
XVIII
.
ROBERT
RECEIVES
A
VISITOR
WHOM
HE
HAD
SCARCELY
EXPECTED
.
Eleven
o'clock
struck
the
next
morning
,
and
found
Mr.
Robert
Audley
still
lounging
over
the
well
ordered
little
breakfast
table
,
with
one
of
his
dogs
at
each
side
of
his
arm-chair
,
regarding
him
with
watchful
eyes
and
opened
mouths
,
awaiting
the
expected
morsel
of
ham
or
toast
.
Robert
had
a
county
paper
on
his
knees
,
and
made
a
feeble
effort
now
and
then
to
read
the
first
page
,
which
was
filled
with
advertisements
of
farming
stock
,
quack
medicines
,
and
other
interesting
matter
.
The
weather
had
changed
,
and
the
snow
,
which
had
for
the
last
few
days
been
looming
blackly
in
the
frosty
sky
,
fell
in
great
feathery
flakes
against
the
windows
,
and
lay
piled
in
the
little
bit
of
garden-ground
without
.
The
long
,
lonely
road
leading
toward
Audley
seemed
untrodden
by
a
footstep
,
as
Robert
Audley
looked
out
at
the
wintry
landscape
.
"
Lively
,
"
he
said
,
"
for
a
man
used
to
the
fascinations
of
Temple
Bar
.
"
As
he
watched
the
snow-flakes
falling
every
moment
thicker
and
faster
upon
the
lonely
road
,
he
was
surprised
by
seeing
a
brougham
driving
slowly
up
the
hill
.
"
I
wonder
what
unhappy
wretch
has
too
restless
a
spirit
to
stop
at
home
on
such
a
morning
as
this
,
"
he
muttered
,
as
he
returned
to
the
arm-chair
by
the
fire
.
He
had
only
reseated
himself
a
few
moments
when
Phoebe
Marks
entered
the
room
to
announce
Lady
Audley
.
"
Lady
Audley
!
Pray
beg
her
to
come
in
,
"
said
Robert
;
and
then
,
as
Phoebe
left
the
room
to
usher
in
this
unexpected
visitor
,
he
muttered
between
his
teeth
—
"
A
false
move
,
my
lady
,
and
one
I
never
looked
for
from
you
.
"
Lucy
Audley
was
radiant
on
this
cold
and
snowy
January
morning
.
Other
people
's
noses
are
rudely
assailed
by
the
sharp
fingers
of
the
grim
ice-king
,
but
not
my
lady
's
;
other
people
's
lips
turn
pale
and
blue
with
the
chilling
influence
of
the
bitter
weather
,
but
my
lady
's
pretty
little
rosebud
of
a
mouth
retained
its
brightest
coloring
and
cheeriest
freshness
.
She
was
wrapped
in
the
very
sables
which
Robert
Audley
had
brought
from
Russia
,
and
carried
a
muff
that
the
young
man
thought
seemed
almost
as
big
as
herself
.
She
looked
a
childish
,
helpless
,
babyfied
little
creature
;
and
Robert
looked
down
upon
her
with
some
touch
of
pity
in
his
eyes
,
as
she
came
up
to
the
hearth
by
which
he
was
standing
,
and
warmed
her
tiny
gloved
hands
at
the
blaze
.
"
What
a
morning
,
Mr.
Audley
!
"
she
said
,
"
what
a
morning
!
"
"
Yes
,
indeed
!
Why
did
you
come
out
in
such
weather
?
"
"
Because
I
wished
to
see
you
—
particularly
.
"
"
Indeed
!
"
"
Yes
,
"
said
my
lady
,
with
an
air
of
considerable
embarrassment
,
playing
with
the
button
of
her
glove
,
and
almost
wrenching
it
off
in
her
restlessness
—
"
yes
,
Mr.
Audley
,
I
felt
that
you
had
not
been
well
treated
;
that
—
that
you
had
,
in
short
,
reason
to
complain
;
and
that
an
apology
was
due
to
you
.
"
"
I
do
not
wish
for
any
apology
,
Lady
Audley
.
"
"
But
you
are
entitled
to
one
,
"
answered
my
lady
,
quietly
.
"
Why
,
my
dear
Robert
,
should
we
be
so
ceremonious
toward
each
other
?
You
were
very
comfortable
at
Audley
;
we
were
very
glad
to
have
you
there
;
but
,
my
dear
,
silly
husband
must
needs
take
it
into
his
foolish
head
that
it
is
dangerous
for
his
poor
little
wife
's
peace
of
mind
to
have
a
nephew
of
eight
or
nine
and
twenty
smoking
his
cigars
in
her
boudoir
,
and
,
behold
!
our
pleasant
little
family
circle
is
broken
up
.
"
Lucy
Audley
spoke
with
that
peculiar
childish
vivacity
which
seemed
so
natural
to
her
,
Robert
looking
down
almost
sadly
at
her
bright
,
animated
face
.
"
Lady
Audley
,
"
he
said
,
"
Heaven
forbid
that
either
you
or
I
should
ever
bring
grief
or
dishonor
upon
my
uncle
's
generous
heart
!
Better
,
perhaps
,
that
I
should
be
out
of
the
house
—
better
,
perhaps
,
that
I
had
never
entered
it
!
"
My
lady
had
been
looking
at
the
fire
while
her
nephew
spoke
,
but
at
his
last
words
she
lifted
her
head
suddenly
,
and
looked
him
full
in
the
face
with
a
wondering
expression
—
an
earnest
,
questioning
gaze
,
whose
full
meaning
the
young
barrister
understood
.
"
Oh
,
pray
do
not
be
alarmed
,
Lady
Audley
,
"
he
said
,
gravely
.
"
You
have
no
sentimental
nonsense
,
no
silly
infatuation
,
borrowed
from
Balzac
or
Dumas
fils
,
to
fear
from
me
.
The
benchers
of
the
Inner
Temple
will
tell
you
that
Robert
Audley
is
troubled
with
none
of
the
epidemics
whose
outward
signs
are
turn-down
collars
and
Byronic
neckties
.
I
say
that
I
wish
I
had
never
entered
my
uncle
's
house
during
the
last
year
;
but
I
say
it
with
a
far
more
solemn
meaning
than
any
sentimental
one
.
"
My
lady
shrugged
her
shoulders
.
"
If
you
insist
on
talking
in
enigmas
,
Mr.
Audley
,
"
she
said
,
"
you
must
forgive
a
poor
little
woman
if
she
declines
to
answer
them
.
"
Robert
made
no
reply
to
this
speech
.
"
But
tell
me
,
"
said
my
lady
,
with
an
entire
change
of
tone
,
"
what
could
have
induced
you
to
come
up
to
this
dismal
place
?
"
"
Curiosity
.
"
"
Curiosity
?
"
"
Yes
;
I
felt
an
interest
in
that
bull-necked
man
,
with
the
dark-red
hair
and
wicked
gray
eyes
.
A
dangerous
man
,
my
lady
—
a
man
in
whose
power
I
should
not
like
to
be
.
"
A
sudden
change
came
over
Lady
Audley
's
face
;
the
pretty
,
roseate
flush
faded
out
from
her
cheeks
,
and
left
them
waxen
white
,
and
angry
flashes
lightened
in
her
blue
eyes
.
"
What
have
I
done
to
you
,
Robert
Audley
,
"
she
cried
,
passionately
—
"
what
have
I
done
to
you
that
you
should
hate
me
so
?
"
He
answered
her
very
gravely
:
"
I
had
a
friend
,
Lady
Audley
,
whom
I
loved
very
dearly
,
and
since
I
have
lost
him
I
fear
that
my
feelings
toward
other
people
are
strangely
embittered
.
"
"
You
mean
the
Mr.
Talboys
who
went
to
Australia
?
"
"
Yes
,
I
mean
the
Mr.
Talboys
who
I
was
told
set
out
for
Liverpool
with
the
idea
of
going
to
Australia
.
"
"
And
you
do
not
believe
in
his
having
sailed
for
Australia
?
"
"
I
do
not
.
"
"
But
why
not
?
"
"
Forgive
me
,
Lady
Audley
,
if
I
decline
to
answer
that
question
.
"
"
As
you
please
,
"
she
said
,
carelessly
.
"
A
week
after
my
friend
disappeared
,
"
continued
Robert
,
"
I
posted
an
advertisement
to
the
Sydney
and
Melbourne
papers
,
calling
upon
him
if
he
was
in
either
city
when
the
advertisement
appeared
,
to
write
and
tell
me
of
his
whereabouts
,
and
also
calling
on
any
one
who
had
met
him
,
either
in
the
colonies
or
on
the
voyage
out
,
to
give
me
any
information
respecting
him
.
George
Talboys
left
Essex
,
or
disappeared
from
Essex
,
on
the
6th
of
September
last
.
I
ought
to
receive
some
answer
to
this
advertisement
by
the
end
of
this
month
.
To-day
is
the
27th
;
the
time
draws
very
near
.
"
"
And
if
you
receive
no
answer
?
"
asked
Lady
Audley
.
"
If
I
receive
no
answer
I
shall
think
that
my
fears
have
been
not
unfounded
,
and
I
shall
do
my
best
to
act
.
"
"
What
do
you
mean
by
that
?
"
"
Ah
,
Lady
Audley
,
you
remind
me
how
very
powerless
I
am
in
this
matter
.
My
friend
might
have
been
made
away
with
in
this
very
inn
,
and
I
might
stay
here
for
a
twelvemonth
,
and
go
away
at
the
last
as
ignorant
of
his
fate
as
if
I
had
never
crossed
the
threshold
.
What
do
we
know
of
the
mysteries
that
may
hang
about
the
houses
we
enter
?
If
I
were
to
go
to-morrow
into
that
commonplace
,
plebeian
,
eight-roomed
house
in
which
Maria
Manning
and
her
husband
murdered
their
guest
,
I
should
have
no
awful
prescience
of
that
bygone
horror
.
Foul
deeds
have
been
done
under
the
most
hospitable
roofs
;
terrible
crimes
have
been
committed
amid
the
fairest
scenes
,
and
have
left
no
trace
upon
the
spot
where
they
were
done
.
I
do
not
believe
in
mandrake
,
or
in
bloodstains
that
no
time
can
efface
.
I
believe
rather
that
we
may
walk
unconsciously
in
an
atmosphere
of
crime
,
and
breathe
none
the
less
freely
.
I
believe
that
we
may
look
into
the
smiling
face
of
a
murderer
,
and
admire
its
tranquil
beauty
.
"
My
lady
laughed
at
Robert
's
earnestness
.
"
You
seem
to
have
quite
a
taste
for
discussing
these
horrible
subjects
,
"
she
said
,
rather
scornfully
;
"
you
ought
to
have
been
a
detective
police
officer
.
"
"
I
sometimes
think
I
should
have
been
a
good
one
.
"
"
Why
?
"
"
Because
I
am
patient
.
"
"
But
to
return
to
Mr.
George
Talboys
,
whom
we
lost
sight
of
in
your
eloquent
discussion
.
What
if
you
receive
no
answer
to
your
advertisements
?
"
"
I
shall
then
consider
myself
justified
in
concluding
my
friend
is
dead
.
"
"
Yes
,
and
then
—
?
"
"
I
shall
examine
the
effects
he
left
at
my
chambers
.
"
"
Indeed
!
and
what
are
they
?
Coats
,
waistcoats
,
varnished
boots
,
and
meerschaum
pipes
,
I
suppose
,
"
said
Lady
Audley
,
laughing
.
"
No
;
letters
—
letters
from
his
friends
,
his
old
schoolfellows
,
his
father
,
his
brother
officers
.
"
"
Yes
?
"
"
Letters
,
too
,
from
his
wife
.
"
My
lady
was
silent
for
some
few
moments
,
looking
thoughtfully
at
the
fire
.
"
Have
you
ever
seen
any
of
the
letters
written
by
the
late
Mrs.
Talboys
?
"
she
asked
presently
.
"
Never
.
Poor
soul
!
her
letters
are
not
likely
to
throw
much
light
upon
my
friend
's
fate
.
I
dare
say
she
wrote
the
usual
womanly
scrawl
.
There
are
very
few
who
write
so
charming
and
uncommon
a
hand
as
yours
,
Lady
Audley
.
"
"
Ah
,
you
know
my
hand
,
of
course
.
"
"
Yes
,
I
know
it
very
well
indeed
.
"
My
lady
warmed
her
hands
once
more
,
and
then
taking
up
the
big
muff
which
she
had
laid
aside
upon
a
chair
,
prepared
to
take
her
departure
.
"
You
have
refused
to
accept
my
apology
,
Mr.
Audley
,
"
she
said
;
"
but
I
trust
you
are
not
the
less
assured
of
my
feelings
toward
you
.
"
"
Perfectly
assured
,
Lady
Audley
.
"
"
Then
good-by
,
and
let
me
recommend
you
not
to
stay
long
in
this
miserable
draughty
place
,
if
you
do
not
wish
to
take
rheumatism
back
to
Figtree
Court
.
"
"
I
shall
return
to
town
to-morrow
morning
to
see
after
my
letters
.
"
"
Then
once
more
good-by
.
"
She
held
out
her
hand
;
he
took
it
loosely
in
his
own
.
It
seemed
such
a
feeble
little
hand
that
he
might
have
crushed
it
in
his
strong
grasp
,
had
he
chosen
to
be
so
pitiless
.
He
attended
her
to
her
carriage
,
and
watched
it
as
it
drove
off
,
not
toward
Audley
,
but
in
the
direction
of
Brentwood
,
which
was
about
six
miles
from
Mount
Stanning
.
About
an
hour
and
a
half
after
this
,
as
Robert
stood
at
the
door
of
the
inn
,
smoking
a
cigar
and
watching
the
snow
falling
in
the
whitened
fields
opposite
,
he
saw
the
brougham
drive
back
,
empty
this
time
,
to
the
door
of
the
inn
.
"
Have
you
taken
Lady
Audley
back
to
the
Court
?
"
he
said
to
the
coachman
,
who
had
stopped
to
call
for
a
mug
of
hot
spiced
ale
.
"
No
,
sir
;
I
've
just
come
from
the
Brentwood
station
.
My
lady
started
for
London
by
the
12.40
train
.
"
"
For
town
?
"
"
Yes
,
sir
.
"
"
My
lady
gone
to
London
!
"
said
Robert
,
as
he
returned
to
the
little
sitting-room
.
"
Then
I
'll
follow
her
by
the
next
train
;
and
if
I
'm
not
very
much
mistaken
,
I
know
where
to
find
her
.
"
He
packed
his
portmanteau
,
paid
his
bill
,
fastened
his
dogs
together
with
a
couple
of
leathern
collars
and
a
chain
,
and
stepped
into
the
rumbling
fly
kept
by
the
Castle
Inn
for
the
convenience
of
Mount
Stanning
.
He
caught
an
express
that
left
Brentwood
at
three
o'clock
,
and
settled
himself
comfortably
in
a
corner
of
an
empty
first-class
carriage
,
coiled
up
in
a
couple
of
railway
rugs
,
and
smoking
a
cigar
in
mild
defiance
of
the
authorities
.
CHAPTER
XIX
.
THE
WRITING
IN
THE
BOOK
.
It
was
exactly
five
minutes
past
four
as
Mr.
Robert
Audley
stepped
out
upon
the
platform
at
Shoreditch
,
and
waited
placidly
until
such
time
as
his
dogs
and
his
portmanteau
should
be
delivered
up
to
the
attendant
porter
who
had
called
his
cab
,
and
undertaken
the
general
conduct
of
his
affairs
,
with
that
disinterested
courtesy
which
does
such
infinite
credit
to
a
class
of
servitors
who
are
forbidden
to
accept
the
tribute
of
a
grateful
public
.
Robert
Audley
waited
with
consummate
patience
for
a
considerable
time
;
but
as
the
express
was
generally
a
long
train
,
and
as
there
were
a
great
many
passengers
from
Norfolk
carrying
guns
and
pointers
,
and
other
paraphernalia
of
a
critical
description
,
it
took
a
long
while
to
make
matters
agreeable
to
all
claimants
,
and
even
the
barrister
's
seraphic
indifference
to
mundane
affairs
nearly
gave
way
.
"
Perhaps
,
when
that
gentleman
who
is
making
such
a
noise
about
a
pointer
with
liver-colored
spots
,
has
discovered
the
particular
pointer
and
spots
that
he
wants
—
which
happy
combination
of
events
scarcely
seems
likely
to
arrive
—
they
'll
give
me
my
luggage
and
let
me
go
.
The
designing
wretches
knew
at
a
glance
that
I
was
born
to
be
imposed
upon
;
and
that
if
they
were
to
trample
the
life
out
of
me
upon
this
very
platform
,
I
should
never
have
the
spirit
to
bring
an
action
against
the
company
.
"
Suddenly
an
idea
seemed
to
strike
him
,
and
he
left
the
porter
to
struggle
for
the
custody
of
his
goods
,
and
walked
round
to
the
other
side
of
the
station
.
He
heard
a
bell
ring
,
and
looking
at
the
clock
,
had
remembered
that
the
down
train
for
Colchester
started
at
this
time
.
He
had
learned
what
it
was
to
have
an
earnest
purpose
since
the
disappearance
of
George
Talboys
;
and
he
reached
the
opposite
platform
in
time
to
see
the
passengers
take
their
seats
.
There
was
one
lady
who
had
evidently
only
just
arrived
at
the
station
;
for
she
hurried
on
to
the
platform
at
the
very
moment
that
Robert
approached
the
train
,
and
almost
ran
against
that
gentleman
in
her
haste
and
excitement
.
"
I
beg
your
pardon
,
"
she
began
,
ceremoniously
;
then
raising
her
eyes
from
Mr.
Audley
's
waistcoat
,
which
was
about
on
a
level
with
her
pretty
face
,
she
exclaimed
,
"
Robert
,
you
in
London
already
?
"
"
Yes
,
Lady
Audley
;
you
were
quite
right
;
the
Castle
Inn
is
a
dismal
place
,
and
—
"
"
You
got
tired
of
it
—
I
knew
you
would
.
Please
open
the
carriage
door
for
me
:
the
train
will
start
in
two
minutes
.
"
Robert
Audley
was
looking
at
his
uncle
's
wife
with
rather
a
puzzled
expression
of
countenance
.
"
What
does
it
mean
?
"
he
thought
.
"
She
is
altogether
a
different
being
to
the
wretched
,
helpless
creature
who
dropped
her
mask
for
a
moment
,
and
looked
at
me
with
her
own
pitiful
face
,
in
the
little
room
at
Mount
Stanning
,
four
hours
ago
.
What
has
happened
to
cause
the
change
?
"
He
opened
the
door
for
her
while
he
thought
this
,
and
helped
her
to
settle
herself
in
her
seat
,
spreading
her
furs
over
her
knees
,
and
arranging
the
huge
velvet
mantle
in
which
her
slender
little
figure
was
almost
hidden
.
"
Thank
you
very
much
;
how
good
you
are
to
me
,
"
she
said
,
as
he
did
this
.
"
You
will
think
me
very
foolish
to
travel
upon
such
a
day
,
without
my
dear
darling
's
knowledge
too
;
but
I
went
up
to
town
to
settle
a
very
terrific
milliner
's
bill
,
which
I
did
not
wish
my
best
of
husbands
to
see
;
for
,
indulgent
as
he
is
,
he
might
think
me
extravagant
;
and
I
cannot
bear
to
suffer
even
in
his
thoughts
.
"
"
Heaven
forbid
that
you
ever
should
,
Lady
Audley
,
"
Robert
said
,
gravely
.
She
looked
at
him
for
a
moment
with
a
smile
,
which
had
something
defiant
in
its
brightness
.
"
Heaven
forbid
it
,
indeed
,
"
she
murmured
.
"
I
do
n't
think
I
ever
shall
.
"
The
second
bell
rung
,
and
the
train
moved
as
she
spoke
.
The
last
Robert
Audley
saw
of
her
was
that
bright
defiant
smile
.
"
Whatever
object
brought
her
to
London
has
been
successfully
accomplished
,
"
he
thought
.
"
Has
she
baffled
me
by
some
piece
of
womanly
jugglery
?
Am
I
never
to
get
any
nearer
to
the
truth
,
but
am
I
to
be
tormented
all
my
life
by
vague
doubts
,
and
wretched
suspicions
,
which
may
grow
upon
me
till
I
become
a
monomaniac
?
Why
did
she
come
to
London
?
"
He
was
still
mentally
asking
himself
this
question
as
he
ascended
the
stairs
in
Figtree
Court
,
with
one
of
his
dogs
under
each
arm
,
and
his
railway
rugs
over
his
shoulder
.
He
found
his
chambers
in
their
accustomed
order
.
The
geraniums
had
been
carefully
tended
,
and
the
canaries
had
retired
for
the
night
under
cover
of
a
square
of
green
baize
,
testifying
to
the
care
of
honest
Mrs.
Maloney
.
Robert
cast
a
hurried
glance
round
the
sitting-room
;
then
setting
down
the
dogs
upon
the
hearth-rug
,
he
walked
straight
into
the
little
inner
chamber
which
served
as
his
dressing-room
.
It
was
in
this
room
that
he
kept
disused
portmanteaus
,
battered
japanned
cases
,
and
other
lumber
;
and
it
was
in
this
room
that
George
Talboys
had
left
his
luggage
.
Robert
lifted
a
portmanteau
from
the
top
