? Was Rachel already involved in a
liaison with Breton?

And, at that thought, a pain so fierce clutched her heart that for a
moment she could not see and the garden and the sky mingled like
coloured smoke before her eyes.

Suddenly, coming to the end of the garden by the stone gate she saw that
a strange thing had happened--one of the gryphons, perched there for
many centuries, had tumbled to the ground and lay in the path, beyond
the garden, broken into two pieces.

The storm of last night must have driven it down. But what had broken
it?

She was sorry. She knew how deeply attached Roddy was to those gryphons;
she remembered his pride when he had pointed them out to her.

The other gryphon looked very lonely.

"He _will_ be distressed." The dead leaves on the path were trembling
over the broken pieces of stone and whistling, in little excited groups,
above it--"Just as though they are glad," she thought.

She and Rachel had a very amiable conversation at luncheon. Rachel
confessed to a bad night.

Lizzie told her about Jacob.

"How tiresome of him to come and bother you--yes, I couldn't sleep and
he was very restless too, so I put him into the passage. It was after
six--I meant him to go down to the servants' hall. I'm so sorry, Miss
Rand."

"Oh, he didn't worry me at all. I _was_ awake." That appeal was in
Rachel's eyes to-day more than ever. Lizzie saw it and steeled her
heart. "I must know," she thought. "I _must_ know."

"I'm afraid," she said, "that I'll have to go back to London to-morrow.
I heard from Lady Adela this morning--The Duchess is not so well."

"Oh!" Rachel caught her breath--"oh, Miss Rand, no, no, oh! I hope not!
You _must_ stay! I----!" her colour came and went. "There's the dance. I
don't know what I shall do without you." And she went on more
desperately, catching Lizzie's eyes and evading them. "We are just
beginning to be so happy here. My husband likes you so much. I do
hope----"

She stopped and the colour left her again; her hands were trembling on
the white tablecloth.

The strangest impulse flooded Lizzie's breast, an impulse to go to her
and put her arms about her and kiss her and let her, there and then,
unburden her heart--

Lizzie drove the impulse down, buried it. Her eyes were cold and her
voice hard as she answered--

"I'm so sorry, but I think I _must_ go. I can't leave Lady Adela if
things are really difficult. I'll come this afternoon, shall I? and we
mig