sently a servant came and laid a
paper on his table, which Miss Power had sent. It was one of the morning
newspapers, and was folded so that his eye fell immediately on a letter
headed 'Restoration or Demolition.'

The letter was professedly written by a dispassionate person solely in
the interests of art. It drew attention to the circumstance that the
ancient and interesting castle of the De Stancys had unhappily passed
into the hands of an iconoclast by blood, who, without respect for the
tradition of the county, or any feeling whatever for history in stone,
was about to demolish much, if not all, that was interesting in that
ancient pile, and insert in its midst a monstrous travesty of some
Greek temple. In the name of all lovers of mediaeval art, conjured the
simple-minded writer, let something be done to save a building which,
injured and battered in the Civil Wars, was now to be made a complete
ruin by the freaks of an irresponsible owner. Her sending him the paper
seemed to imply that she required his opinion on the case; and in the
afternoon, leaving Dare to measure up a wing according to directions, he
went out in the hope of meeting her, having learnt that she had gone to
the village. On reaching the church he saw her crossing the churchyard
path with her aunt and Miss De Stancy. Somerset entered the enclosure,
and as soon as she saw him she came across.

'What is to be done?' she asked.

'You need not be concerned about such a letter as that.'

'I am concerned.'

'I think it dreadful impertinence,' spoke up Charlotte, who had joined
them. 'Can you think who wrote it, Mr. Somerset?'

Somerset could not.

'Well, what am I to do?' repeated Paula.

'Just as you would have done before.'

'That's what _I_ say,' observed Mrs. Goodman emphatically.

'But I have already altered--I have given up the Greek court.'

'O--you had seen the paper this morning before you looked at my
drawing?'

'I had,' she answered.

Somerset thought it a forcible illustration of her natural reticence
that she should have abandoned the design without telling him the
reason; but he was glad she had not done it from mere caprice.

She turned to him and said quietly, 'I wish YOU would answer that
letter.'

'It would be ill-advised,' said Somerset. 'Still, if, after
consideration, you wish it much, I will. Meanwhile let me impress upon
you again the expediency of calling in Mr. Havill--to whom, as your
father's architect, exp