cted with him was an idea
that pleased me; there was a promise of future excitement in it of no
ordinary kind. I determined to have a little private conversation with
Margaret about him; and to make her an ally in my new project. If there
really had been some romance connected with Mr. Mannion's early life--if
that strange and striking face of his was indeed a sealed book which
contained a secret story, what a triumph and a pleasure, if Margaret and
I should succeed in discovering it together!

When I woke the next morning, I could hardly believe that this
tradesman's clerk had so interested my curiosity that he had actually
shared my thoughts with my young wife, during the evening before. And
yet, when I next saw him, he produced exactly the same impression on me
again.

III.

Some weeks passed away; Margaret and I resumed our usual employments and
amusements; the life at North Villa ran on as smoothly and obscurely as
usual--and still I remained ignorant of Mr. Mannion's history and Mr.
Mannion's character. He came frequently to the house, in the evening;
but was generally closeted with Mr. Sherwin, and seldom accepted
his employer's constant invitation to him to join the party in
the drawing-room. At those rare intervals when we did see him, his
appearance and behaviour were exactly the same as on the night when I
had met him for the first time; he spoke just as seldom, and resisted
just as resolutely and respectfully the many attempts made on my part to
lead him into conversation and familiarity. If he had really been trying
to excite my interest, he could not have succeeded more effectually. I
felt towards him much as a man feels in a labyrinth, when every fresh
failure in gaining the centre, only produces fresh obstinacy in renewing
the effort to arrive at it.

From Margaret I gained no sympathy for my newly-aroused curiosity. She
appeared, much to my surprise, to care little about Mr. Mannion; and
always changed the conversation, if it related to him, whenever it
depended upon her to continue the topic or not.

Mrs. Sherwin's conduct was far from resembling her daughter's, when I
spoke to her on the same subject. She always listened intently to what
I said; but her answers were invariably brief, confused, and sometimes
absolutely incomprehensible. It was only after great difficulty that I
induced her to confess her dislike of Mr. Mannion. Whence it proceeded
she could never tell. Did she suspect anything? I