t
a time."

She had expressed, in other words, Romayne's own idea of himself, in
speaking of her to Lord Loring. He was struck by the coincidence.

"Perhaps we have begun, Miss Eyrecourt, by misinterpreting one another,"
he said. "We may arrive at a better understanding when I have the honor
of meeting you again."

He hesitated and looked at Lady Loring. She was not the woman to let
a fair opportunity escape her. "We will say to-morrow evening," she
resumed, "at seven o'clock."

"To-morrow," said Romayne. He shook hands with Stella, and left the
picture gallery.

Thus far, the conspiracy to marry him promised even more hopefully than
the conspiracy to convert him. And Father Benwell, carefully instructing
Penrose in the next room, was not aware of it!

But the hours, in their progress, mark the march of events as surely as
they mark the march of time. The day passed, the evening came--and, with
its coming, the prospects of the conversion brightened in their turn.

Let Father Benwell himself relate how it happened--in an extract from
his report to Rome, written the same evening.

"... I had arranged with Penrose that he should call at my lodgings,
and tell me how he had prospered at the first performance of his duties
as secretary to Romayne.

"The moment he entered the room the signs of disturbance in his face
told me that something serious had happened. I asked directly if there
had been any disagreement between Romayne and himself.

"He repeated the word with every appearance of surprise. 'Disagreement?'
he said. 'No words can tell how sincerely I feel for Mr. Romayne. I
cannot express to you, Father, how eager I am to be of service to him!'

"Relieved, so far, I naturally asked what had happened. Penrose betrayed
a marked embarrassment in answering my question.

"'I have innocently surprised a secret,' he said, 'on which I had no
right to intrude. All that I can honorably tell you, shall be told. Add
one more to your many kindnesses--don't command me to speak, when it is
my duty toward a sorely-tried man to be silent, even to you.'

"It is needless to say that I abstained from directly answering this
strange appeal. 'Let me hear what you can tell,' I replied, 'and then we
shall see.'

"Upon this, he spoke. I need hardly recall to your memory how careful
we were, in first planning the attempt to recover the Vange property, to
assure ourselves of the promise of success which the peculiar character
of