watched her while she wrapped the head in its folds
of silk.

"Aphrodite never had so true a priestess, nor one so pure," he thought,
and a strange feeling of sadness came over him, and he thanked her
rather abruptly for showing him her treasure, and they went silently
back through Sir Timothy's rooms, and down the stair; and in the Italian
parlor he said good-by at once, and left.

The wind had got up and blew freshly in his face. There would be a gale
before morning. It suited his mood. He struck across the park, but
instead of making for the haw-haw, he turned into Cheiron's little gate.
He wanted understanding company, he wanted to talk cynical philosophy,
and he wanted the stimulus of his old master's biting wit.

But when he got there, he found Cheiron very taciturn--contributing
little more than a growl now and then, while he smoked his long pipe and
played with his beard. So at last he got up to go.

"I have made up my mind to marry Mrs. Cricklander, Master," he said.

"I supposed so," the Professor replied dryly. "A man always has to
convince himself he is doing a fine thing when he gives himself up to be
hanged."

CHAPTER XVII

John Derringham reached Wendover--by the road and the lodge gates--in an
impossible temper. He had left the orchard house coming as near to a
quarrel with his old master as such a thing could be. He absolutely
refused to let himself dwell upon the anger he had felt; and if Fate had
given him a distinct and pointed chance to ask the fair Cecilia for her
lily hand, when he knocked at her sitting-room door before dinner, he
would no doubt have left the next day--summoned again to London by his
Chief--an engaged man. But this turn of events was not in the
calculations of Destiny for the moment, and he found no less a person
than Mr. Hanbury-Green already ensconced by his hostess's side. They
were both smoking and looked very comfortable and at ease.

"I just came in to tell you I shall be obliged to tear myself away
to-morrow," John Derringham said, "and cannot have the pleasure of
staying to the end of the week in this delightful place."

Mrs. Cricklander got up from her reclining position among the cushions.
This was a blow. She wished now she had not encouraged Mr. Hanbury-Green
to come and sit with her; it might be a lost opportunity which it would
be difficult to recapture again. But she had felt so very much annoyed
at Mr. Derringham's capriciousness, displayed the