rd, and that over his whole attitude there had come a rapid
change.

There was a pause when the younger man had finished. Dudley kept his
eyes down, and traced a pattern on the table-cloth with a fork, while
Max looked at him furtively. At last Dudley looked up quickly and asked,
in a tone which admitted of no prevarication in the answer he demanded:

"You have been playing the spy upon me, I see. Tell me just how much you
saw."

It was such a straightforward way of coming to the point that Max, taken
aback, but rather thankful that the ground was to be cleared a little,
answered at once without reserve:

"I did play the spy. It was enough to make me. I saw the hansom waiting
outside your door last night; the cabman mistook me for you, and told me
the lady had walked away. I couldn't help putting that together with
what you had told me about seeing a friend off to Liverpool, and,
perhaps, going there yourself. Now, who could have helped it?"

Dudley did not at once answer. He just glanced inquiringly at the face
of Max while he went on tracing the pattern on the cloth.

"You didn't see the lady," he said at last, not in a questioning tone,
but with conviction.

"No."

"Well, if you had seen her you would have been satisfied that it was not
her charms which were leading me astray," said he, with a faint smile.
"Are you satisfied now, or do you still consider," he went on with a
slight tone of mockery in his voice, "that my character requires further
investigation before you can accept me for a brother-in-law?"

Max moved uneasily again.

"What rot, Horne!" said he, impatiently. "You know very well I've always
wanted you to marry Doreen. I've said so, lots of times. I still say it
was natural I should want to understand your queer goings-on last night.
And now--and now--"

"And now that you don't understand them any better than before, you are
ready to take it for granted it's all right?" broke in Dudley, with the
same scoffing tone as before.

Max grew very red, began to speak, glanced at Dudley, and got up.

"Yes, I suppose that's about the size of it," said he, stiffly.

"And are you going down with me to-night? I can catch the seven o'clock
train."

"Oh, yes, I suppose so. I'll meet you at Charing Cross."

Max's enthusiasm on his friend's behalf had been much damped by his
behavior, and he gave him a nod, turned on his heel and left him without
another word. He gave up trying to understand the myst