which Sloyd had found her once. Despondency had
succeeded to her excitement--this was all quite in the Tristram way--and
she had expected no fruit from Mina's expedition. But Mina came home,
not indeed with anything very definite, yet laden with a whole pack of
possibilities. She put that point about the viscounty, which puzzled
her, first of all. It alone was enough to fire Cecily to animation. Then
she led up, through Lady Evenswood, to Mr Disney himself, confessing
however that she took the encouragement which that great man had given
on faith from those who knew him better than she did. Her own impression
would have been that he meant to dismiss the whole thing as impossible
nonsense.

"Still I can't help thinking we've done something," she ended in
triumph.

"Mina, are you working for him or for me?"

This question faced Mina with a latent problem which she had hitherto
avoided. And now she could not solve it. For some time back she had been
familiarized with the fact that her life was dull when Harry Tristram
passed out of it. The accepted explanation of that state of feeling was
simple enough. But then it would involve Cecily in her turn passing out
of view, or at least becoming entirely insignificant. And Mina was not
prepared for that. She tried hard to read the answer, regarding Cecily
earnestly the while.

"Mayn't I work for both of you?" she asked at last.

"Well, I can't see why you should do that," said Cecily, rolling out of
the hammock and fretfully smoothing her hair.

"I'm a busy-body. That's it," said Mina.

"You know what'll happen if he finds it out? Harry, I mean. He'll be
furious with both of us."

Mina reflected. "Yes, I suppose he will," she admitted. But the spirit
of self-sacrifice was on her, perhaps also that of adventure. "I don't
care," she said, "as long as I can help."

There was a loud knock at the door. Mina rushed into the front room and
saw a man in uniform delivering a letter. The next moment the maid
brought it to her--a long envelope with "First Lord of the Treasury"
stamped on the lower left-hand corner. She noticed that it was addressed
to Lady Evenswood's house, and must have been sent on post haste. She
tore it open. It was headed "Private and Confidential."

"MADAME--I am directed by Mr Disney to request you to state in
writing, for his consideration, any facts which may be within your
knowledge as to the circumstances attendant on the marriage of