our behalf. I hope I have not done
wrong."

Olive laughed gaily. The moorland air, the brightness of the skies, and
the healthy exercise she had taken, had made her ravenously hungry.

"Rather, I must thank you heartily," she said; "but I must get back soon
after lunch. I think I will send my caddy with a note, so that a trap
may come for me."

"Is that essential?" asked Ricordo.

Olive looked at him questioningly.

"Because," continued Ricordo, "I had looked forward to the pleasure of
walking back with you--if you will grant me so great an honour."

For a moment she hesitated. Had he been an Englishman she would have
thought nothing of it. Her father had invited him to the house; he had
also spoken of him as a kind of prince of merchants, and as a
consequence there could be no doubt as to his position. Nevertheless,
the fact that his education and associations had not been English, kept
her from immediately acceding to his request.

"I ask this," went on Ricordo, "because I am afraid I conveyed a false
impression on the night I was a guest at your father's house. Even a
poor alien like myself does not desire to appear in a false light."

Her eyes met his as he spoke, and the force of her objections seemed to
have fled.

"I thought you might wish to play again this afternoon," she said; "but
if you wish, I shall be very glad."

An hour later they started to walk back to Vale Linden.

"I have sometimes wondered whether you do not regard me as somewhat of
an enigma, signorina. You build a beautiful house for the benefit of
people who need rest and change, but who cannot afford to pay for the
comforts of a good hotel, and then you find that it is encumbered by a
man who can abundantly afford to pay even for a few luxuries. No doubt
that has struck you as strange?"

"I am afraid I have not thought much about it," replied Olive.

"Still, now that I have been received so kindly, I think I ought to
explain. While I was in London I met a man, I had affairs with him,
named--let me think, yes, Winfield. I grew tired of London, and he told
me of this place, and of you. He described the work you had done here,
and your gracious influence in the village and neighbourhood. His story
appealed to me. I longed to see this beautiful Vale Linden, and being a
lonely man without ties--well, that is all, I think, signorina. But now
I am here, I want to stay--for a time at least. I recognise the fact
that I can no longer bene