hen they had parted Dare walked along towards Markton with resolve on
his mouth and an unscrupulous light in his prominent black eye. Could
any person who had heard the previous conversation have seen him now, he
would have found little difficulty in divining that, notwithstanding De
Stancy's obduracy, the reinstation of Captain De Stancy in the castle,
and the possible legitimation and enrichment of himself, was still
the dream of his brain. Even should any legal settlement or offspring
intervene to nip the extreme development of his projects, there
was abundant opportunity for his glorification. Two conditions were
imperative. De Stancy must see Paula before Somerset's return. And it
was necessary to have help from Havill, even if it involved letting him
know all.

Whether Havill already knew all was a nice question for Mr. Dare's
luminous mind. Havill had had opportunities of reading his secret,
particularly on the night they occupied the same room. If so, by
revealing it to Paula, Havill might utterly blast his project for the
marriage. Havill, then, was at all risks to be retained as an ally.

Yet Dare would have preferred a stronger check upon his confederate
than was afforded by his own knowledge of that anonymous letter and the
competition trick. For were the competition lost to him, Havill would
have no further interest in conciliating Miss Power; would as soon as
not let her know the secret of De Stancy's relation to him.

Fortune as usual helped him in his dilemma. Entering Havill's office,
Dare found him sitting there; but the drawings had all disappeared from
the boards. The architect held an open letter in his hand.

'Well, what news?' said Dare.

'Miss Power has returned to the castle, Somerset is detained in London,
and the competition is decided,' said Havill, with a glance of quiet
dubiousness.

'And you have won it?'

'No. We are bracketed--it's a tie. The judges say there is no choice
between the designs--that they are singularly equal and singularly good.
That she would do well to adopt either. Signed So-and-So, Fellows of
the Royal Institute of British Architects. The result is that she
will employ which she personally likes best. It is as if I had spun a
sovereign in the air and it had alighted on its edge. The least false
movement will make it tails; the least wise movement heads.'

'Singularly equal. Well, we owe that to our nocturnal visit, which must
not be known.'

'O Lord, no!' sa