gnity.

"Please, I don't know what you mean," said the boy, feeling very much
confused.

The man smiled pityingly, and looked down with a most exasperating kind
of condescension at the visitor,--in a way, in fact, that stamped him
mentally as a brother in spirit, if not in flesh, of Maria, the doctor's
maid.

"I 'ave to announce your name to her ladyship," said the footman.

"Oh, my name," cried Dexter, "Obed Cole--I mean Dexter Grayson."

He turned more red than ever in his confusion, and before he could say
another word to add to his correction the door was thrown open.

"Master Obed Cole Dextry Grayson," said the footman, in a loud voice;
and the boy found himself standing in a large handsomely furnished room
in the presence of Lady Danby, who rose with a forced smile, and looked
very limp.

"How do you do, Master Grayson!" she said sadly, and she held out her
hand.

Dexter in his confusion made a dash at it, and caught it tightly, to
find that it felt very limp and cold, but the sensation did not last
long, for the thin white fingers were snatched away.

"Eddy, dear," said Lady Danby.

There was no answer, and Dexter stood there, feeling very uncomfortable,
and staring hard at the tall lady, who spoke in such an ill-used tone of
voice.

"Eddy, my darling," she said a little more loudly, as she turned and
looked toward a glass door opening into a handsome conservatory; "come
and shake hands with Master Grayson."

There was no reply, but a faint rustling sound fell upon Dexter's quick
ears, telling plainly enough that some one was in the conservatory.

Lady Danby sighed, and there was a very awkward pause.

"Perhaps you had better sit down, Master Grayson," she said. "My son
will be here soon."

Just at that moment there was a loud important sounding cough in the
hall, the handle of the door rattled loudly, and Sir James entered,
walking very upright, and smiling with his eyes half-closed.

"Aha!" he exclaimed. "Here you are, then. How do you do--how do you
do--how do you do!"

He shook hands boisterously, nodding and smiling the while, and Dexter
wondered whether he ought to say, "Quite well, thank you, sir," three
times over, but he only said it once.

"That's right," said Sir James. "Quite safe here, eh? No bullocks to
run after us now."

"No, sir," said Dexter uneasily.

"But where's Eddy!" cried Sir James.

"He was here a little while ago, my dear," said Lady Danby uneasily. "I