it as they set themselves to do, the brooding subject
could not be ignored, general conversation flagged, and it soon became
time for the visitors to say good-night.

As they walked back to the town together Gifford noticed that his
companion was unusually silent, and he tactfully forbore to break in upon
his preoccupation. At length Kelson spoke.

"Muriel has just been telling me of an unpleasant and unaccountable
thing which happened to her this evening. A discovery of a rather
alarming character. I said I would take your advice about it, Hugh, and
she agreed."

"Does it concern the affair at Wynford?"

"It may," Kelson answered in a perplexed tone; "and yet I don't well see
how it can. Anyhow it is uncommonly mysterious. We won't talk about it
here," he added gravely, "but wait till we get in."

"Miss Morriston looked well to-night," Gifford remarked, falling in with
his friend's wish to postpone the more engrossing subject.

"Yes," Kelson agreed casually. "She takes this ghastly business quietly
enough. But that is her way."

"I have been wondering," Gifford said, "how much she cares for
Painswick. He is manifestly quite smitten, but I doubt her being nearly
as keen on him."

Kelson laughed. "If you ask me I don't think she cares a bit for him. And
one can scarcely be surprised. He is not a bad fellow, but rather a prig,
and Edith Morriston is not exactly the sort of girl to suffer that type
of man gladly. But her brother is all for the match; from Painswick's
point of view she is just the wife for him, money and a statuesque style
of beauty; altogether I shall be surprised if it does not come off."

"They are not engaged, then?"

"I think not. They say he proposes regularly once a week. But she
holds him off."

Arrived at the _Golden Lion_ they went straight up to Kelson's room,
where with more curiosity than he quite cared to show, Gifford settled
himself to hear what the other had to tell him.

"I dare say you noticed how worried Muriel looked all dinner-time,"
Kelson began. "I thought that what had happened in the house had got on
her nerves; but it was something worse than that; I mean touching her
more nearly."

"Tell me," Gifford said quietly.

"You know," Kelson proceeded, "they are going to this dance at Hasborough
to-morrow. Well, it appears that when her maid was overhauling her
ball-dress, the same she wore here the other night, she found blood
stains on it."

"That," Gifford remarke