Cottage. People were mysterious over it, and I never
could get a word of explanation. Jan was the worst; he was coolly
tantalising, and it used to put me in a passion. What was the tale
told?"

An involuntary darkening of Lionel's brow. He cleared it instantly, and
looked down on his wife with a smile.

"I know of no tale worth telling you, Sibylla."

"But there _was_ a tale told?"

"Jan--who, being in closer proximity to Dr. West than any one, may be
supposed to know best of his private affairs--tells a tale of Dr. West's
having set a chimney on fire at Chalk Cottage, thereby arousing the ire
of its inmates."

"Don't you repeat such nonsense to me, Lionel; you are not Jan," she
returned, in a half peevish tone. "I fear papa may have borrowed money
from the ladies, and did not repay them," she added, her voice sinking
to a whisper. "But I would not say it to any one but you. What do you
think?"

"If my wife will allow me to tell her what I think, I should say that it
is her duty--and mine now--not to seek to penetrate into any affairs
belonging to Dr. West which he may wish to keep to himself. Is it not
so, Sibylla mine?"

Sibylla smiled, and held up her face to be kissed. "Yes, you are right,
Lionel."

Swayed by impulse, more than by anything else, she thought of her
treasures upstairs, in the process of dis-interment from their cases by
Benoite, and ran from him to inspect them. Lionel put on his hat, and
strolled out of doors.

A thought came over him that he would go and pay a visit to his mother.
He knew how exacting of attention from him she was, how jealous, so to
speak, of Sibylla's having taken him from her. Lionel hoped by degrees
to reduce the breach. Nothing should be wanting on his part to effect
it; he trusted that nothing would be wanting on Sibylla's. He really
wished to see his mother after his month's absence; and he knew she
would be pleased at his going there on this, the first morning of his
return. As he turned into the high road, he met the vicar of Deerham,
the Reverend James Bourne.

They shook hands, and the conversation turned, not unnaturally, on the
Mormon flight. As they were talking of it, Roy, the ex-bailiff, was
observed crossing the opposite field.

"My brother tells me the report runs that Mrs. Roy contemplated being of
the company, but was overtaken by her husband and brought back,"
remarked Lionel.

"How it may have been, about his bringing her back, or whether she