imes the Scobels were present at these Sunday luncheons, sometimes
not. Violet was with her mother, of course, on these occasions; but,
while bodily present, she contrived to maintain an attitude of
aloofness which would have driven a less resolute man than Conrad
Winstanley to absent himself. A man more sensitive to the opinions of
others could hardly have existed in such an atmosphere of dislike; but
Captain Winstanley meant to live down Miss Tempest's aversion, or to
give her double cause for hating him.

"Why have you given up hunting, Miss Tempest?" he asked one Sunday
afternoon, when they had gone the round of the stables, and Arion had
been fondled and admired--a horse as gentle as an Italian greyhound in
his stable, as fiery as a wild-cat out of it.

"Because I have no one I care to hunt with, now papa is gone."

"But here in the Forest, where everybody knows you, where you might
have as many fathers as the Daughter of the Regiment----"

"Yes, I have many kind friends. But there is not one who could fill my
father's place--for an hour."

"It is a pity," said the Captain sympathetically. "You were so fond of
hunting, were you not?"

"Passionately."

"Then it is a shame you should forego the pleasure. And you must find
it very dull, I should think, riding alone in the forest."

"Alone! I have my horse."

"Surely he does not count as a companion."

"Indeed he does. I wish for no better company than Arion, now papa is
gone."

"Violet is so eccentric!" Mrs. Tempest murmured gently.

Captain Winstanley had taken Mrs. Hawbuck's cottage till the first of
May. The end of April would see the last of the hunting, so this
arrangement seemed natural enough. He hunted in good earnest. There was
no pretence about him. It was only the extra knowing ones, the little
knot of choice spirits at The Crown, who saw some deeper motive than a
mere love of sport for his residence at Beechdale. These advanced minds
had contrived to find out all about Captain Winstanley by this
time--the date of his selling out, his ostensible and hidden reasons
for leaving the army, the amount of his income, and the general
complexion of his character. There was not much to be advanced against
him. No dark stories; only a leading notion that he was a man who
wanted to improve his fortunes, and would not be over-scrupulous as to
the means. But as your over-scrupulous man is one in a thousand, this
was ranking Captain Winstanley with the maj