d house, occupied by a farmer by the name of
Briggs. Meanwhile her father told her that Ricordo had approached him
with a view of buying the house concerning which he had spoken to her.
After this they met occasionally, but not often; nevertheless, each time
they met, Olive became more deeply interested in him. The fact of his
coming from the East became less and less an obstacle to their
friendship, and John Castlemaine, while he could never break through a
certain kind of reserve which seemed to surround the man who had come to
live in their midst, confessed that he was the most interesting
personality he had ever met.

As the weeks passed by Olive realised that the time would soon arrive
when Herbert Briarfield would claim the right to plead his suit for the
last time, and she began to wonder what she would say to him. Since the
occasion when he had pleaded this privilege, he had not visited her home
often; but every time she had seen him he had revealed more and more
what a fine manly young fellow he was. Certainly, as her father had told
her more than once, she would soon have to decide whether she would
remain single all her life, or whether she would accept the love he
offered. Yet, even as she thought of this, she wondered what Ricordo
would say, and she thought also of the promise which she had made to
Leicester on the night before the day on which they should have been
married. For that promise still haunted her. She remembered the look on
Leicester's face when he exacted the promise, and her assurance that, no
matter what might happen, she would never marry another man was not to
be easily forgotten.

One morning Ricordo sat on the lawn outside the Manor Farm House. He had
breakfasted in the open air, and was now sitting on a garden chair
smoking a cheroot. Ricordo was still regarded as a mystery in the
neighbourhood. No one knew anything more about him now than they did on
the day of his arrival, save that he was a partner in a great Eastern
trading firm. That he had plenty of money was beyond question. He had
opened an account at the nearest bank, and the manager had opened his
eyes with astonishment when he saw the amount written on the cheque that
was presented to him. Of course this sum was not mentioned to the world,
but the clerks at the bank made no secret of the fact that their new
client was enormously rich. But beyond this nothing was known. The best
houses for miles around had opened their doors