our return.'

Unpleasant to Stephen such remarks as these could not sound; to have the
expectancy of partnership with one of the largest-practising architects
in London thrust upon him was cheering, however untenable he felt the
idea to be. He saw that, whatever Mr. Hewby might think, Mr. Swancourt
certainly thought much of him to entertain such an idea on such slender
ground as to be absolutely no ground at all. And then, unaccountably,
his speaking face exhibited a cloud of sadness, which a reflection on
the remoteness of any such contingency could hardly have sufficed to
cause.

Elfride was struck with that look of his; even Mr. Swancourt noticed it.

'Well,' he said cheerfully, 'never mind that now. You must come again
on your own account; not on business. Come to see me as a visitor,
you know--say, in your holidays--all you town men have holidays like
schoolboys. When are they?'

'In August, I believe.'

'Very well; come in August; and then you need not hurry away so. I am
glad to get somebody decent to talk to, or at, in this outlandish ultima
Thule. But, by the bye, I have something to say--you won't go to-day?'

'No; I need not,' said Stephen hesitatingly. 'I am not obliged to get
back before Monday morning.'

'Very well, then, that brings me to what I am going to propose. This is
a letter from Lord Luxellian. I think you heard me speak of him as the
resident landowner in this district, and patron of this living?'

'I--know of him.'

'He is in London now. It seems that he has run up on business for a day
or two, and taken Lady Luxellian with him. He has written to ask me to
go to his house, and search for a paper among his private memoranda,
which he forgot to take with him.'

'What did he send in the letter?' inquired Elfride.

'The key of a private desk in which the papers are. He doesn't like to
trust such a matter to any body else. I have done such things for him
before. And what I propose is, that we make an afternoon of it--all
three of us. Go for a drive to Targan Bay, come home by way of Endelstow
House; and whilst I am looking over the documents you can ramble about
the rooms where you like. I have the run of the house at any time, you
know. The building, though nothing but a mass of gables outside, has a
splendid hall, staircase, and gallery within; and there are a few good
pictures.'

'Yes, there are,' said Stephen.

'Have you seen the place, then?

'I saw it as I came by,' he said h